Someone Else's Life
by ark the wanderer
Summary: Harry once said that being with Ginny was like living someone else's life. What if that life had been his? This story explores Harry’s life in a world without Voldemort. Mainly H/G
1. Quidditch and Everything After 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

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_"It's been like... like living someone else's life, these last few weeks with you."_  
- Harry to Ginny, during one of the most heartbreaking moments in the HP series.

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**Part 1: Quidditch and Everything After**

The cold October wind whipped his hair backwards as Harry sped along the Quidditch pitch, testing the top speed of his Firebolt. The speedometer of the clip-on gauge was reading past 150 miles an hour as he got to one end of the field. Performing the trick he'd been practicing that evening, Harry dipped sharply downwards and sped towards the ground, his acceleration aided by gravity. The wind whistled in his ears as he screwed up his face in concentration and, at the last instant, he pulled the nose of his broom and spiraled upwards. He continued on flying skyward, wanting to test the maximum controllable altitude of his Firebolt. It didn't disappoint. The altimeter's needle had gone past the numbered lines and he was already having trouble breathing by the time the Firebolt started wobbling.

Satisfied, Harry started to fly down towards the ground. He was level with the goal posts and near the center of the pitch when he pulled to a stop. Someone else had started flying while he was high up in the sky testing his Firebolt. Like him, they too had been speeding along the pitch and he was now blocking their previously clear way.

That someone was Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister. She had only just managed to brake on her broom, preventing a what-might-have-been-fatal collision, and was looking at him like she had just seen a ghost. Harry wondered briefly if it was because he had seemingly come from nowhere, having just flown down from a part of the pitch that the lights didn't reach. Whatever its cause may be, Harry was sure that her shocked expression perfectly mirrored his. He had never seen Ginny Weasley on a broom before, let alone going at the speed she'd been going.

Presently, Ginny broke into a huge grin. Harry barely had time to wonder why she was grinning when she passed the Quaffle she'd been holding at him. He caught it deftly and looked at Ginny, then, catching her drift, he returned her grin with his own. One hand on the Quaffle and another on his broom, he flew past her and sped towards the goal posts. He looked behind and saw her tailing him with a look of intense concentration on her face. He had the advantage of a head start and his Firebolt though, and she was still more than ten feet away by the time he reached the scoring area. He aimed and shot the Quaffle easily through one of the goals.

The charmed ball fell slowly downwards and Harry caught it before it hit the ground. He threw the ball at Ginny, who caught and shot it through a goal in one smooth movement. They played that way for a while, the silence only broken by laughter as Harry tried to block Ginny's goals but she made them anyway or when Ginny tried to imitate one of Harry's flying tricks and she almost collided with one of the goal posts.

Harry observed Ginny intently. He prided himself in knowing a good flier when he saw one and she was definitely one. She was riding a Comet 180, neither the fastest nor the easiest broom to handle, but she made it look like she was flying on a Nimbus. He realized that she only screwed up his trick because it was her first try. It was a particularly hard trick and it had taken him a month to master it. Her form was perfect too. She would suddenly pull on the nose of her broom then twist her body quickly, making her turns sharp and snappy. She would use this snappy turn every time she tried to make a goal and she would flick her wrists at the last instant, putting a sharp spin on the Quaffle and causing it to always go in even if it hit the sides of the hoops. The first time he saw her use this technique, he couldn't help but let go of his Firebolt and clap appreciatively with both hands.

"Hey, stop that," she called to him as she shot another goal, finally breaking their silence.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Staring," she said in a stating-the-obvious sort of way and rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, sorry," he said sincerely, he hadn't realized that he'd been staring. "I was just checking to see if you're any good." As soon as he said it, Harry vaguely realized that it sounded somewhat insulting and arrogant, but Ginny didn't seem to notice it.

"Well?" she asked as she flew one-handed towards him with the Quaffle clipped under her free arm.

"Ten over ten," Harry replied surely.

"Ahh… I always knew you had a good eye, Harry," she said airily.

Ginny flew towards the ground then settled herself at the very center of the pitch. Harry followed and sat beside her.

"Didn't know you could fly," he told her honestly, and that was probably just the tip of the ice berg. He wondered how much he didn't know about Ginny Weasley. She had always been just Ron's little sister. He was close with her brothers and she was close with Hermione, but _they_ weren't close. Thinking about it now puzzled him. He and Ginny had known each other for about three years, they'd even hung out together, but somehow they never really got to know each other. Sure he knew little things about her—things that were obvious and things that Ron and Hermione told him—like how she never shuts up, or how she can cast a mean Bat-Bogey Hex, or how she hates doing her homework too, but none of them were as big as this flying thing. His knowledge of Ginny was like one huge trunk with only a few disarranged trinkets in it and he was now presented with this big ball and he had to rearrange the stuff in the trunk to make room for the ball. In short, he knew _nothing_ about Ginny Weasley.

"Not many people do," she replied with a casual shrug. "So don't take it personally," she added jokingly. "Is this the first time you've come here? Just flying by yourself, I mean…."

It wasn't Harry's first time at the pitch of course, but it _was_ his first time flying by himself. He had always come to the pitch for Quidditch practice but this year, his fourth at Hogwarts, was different. The Triwizard Tournament was being held for the first time in a hundred years or so and the chosen venue was Hogwarts. The decision had been made to not hold Quidditch in order to concentrate on the Tournament. Normally, on a cool Wednesday evening such as that one, he would have been practicing for the first Quidditch match of the year. But, no matches, no practices. He never went too long without taking his Firebolt out for a ride though, so on that cool Wednesday evening he had decided to go flying out on the pitch. He never thought he'd run into Ginny Weasley, of all people, at the pitch that evening.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"I come here often myself," replied Ginny. She started tossing the Quaffle up and down in the air. "Never saw you around—this year, that is."

"How long have you been coming here?" he wondered. His eyes followed the progress of the Quaffle as it bounced to and from her hand.

"Since first year, but only late at night, since the teams are practicing during the day and early evening," she replied. "I've only started coming early this year. I figured since there are no matches, no one would be out here. Didn't think I'd see you here," she added with a nod towards him.

Harry chuckled. "Me either—see you here, I mean," he said. "Don't you ever get caught? Coming here late at night…."

"Twice," she declared proudly, a glint of mischief twinkling in her eyes. Harry couldn't help but be reminded of Fred and George. "First by Filch, second by Dumbledore. Filch made me clean a quarter of the stands—without magic! Dumbledore conjured a glass of water—for my thirst, he said," she added fondly.

"Seriously?" asked Harry. "He gave you a glass of water?"

"And it kept refilling," she said, and nodded grandly.

"Damn!"

"I know…."

Ginny finally stopped tossing the Quaffle up and down and settled it on the ground. Harry noticed that there were black markings on the ball. It obviously wasn't the school's Quaffle. He grabbed it and inspected the writings. The words "Chudley Cannons" were written near a drawing of a speeding cannonball. He could also read the team names "Holyhead Harpies", "Puddlemere", and "Magpies", and one bold statement: "Harpies Rock!"

"I'm guessing that Ron wrote the 'Chudley Cannons' here," Harry said with an amused grin. "Which one's yours?"

"Holyhead Harpies, all the way!" Ginny replied enthusiastically.

"Oh, so you wrote this," said Harry, pointing to the words 'Harpies Rock!' written on the Quaffle. "Very creative," he said sarcastically.

"Shut up, I was seven at the time," Ginny said a little defensively.

"You've supported them since you were seven?" Harry asked with a tone of surprise and bemusement in his voice. He only knew a few people who had supported a team since they were very young, and they were always the hard core Quidditch fans. He was again reminded, not for the first time that night, how much he didn't know about the youngest Weasley.

"Since I was six, actually," she corrected him. "My uncle Fabian, Mum's brother, took me to one of their matches for my birthday. It was my first match too, and well, you know what it's like to see a pro Quidditch game for the first time. It was unreal!"

At that point, a dreamy look came over Ginny's face as she reminisced about the match. "The players looked like they were born riding on brooms," she continued. "Puddlemere was quite good too, they even won the game, but the Harpies' Chasers…they were playing like they had one mind. They had this technique where they would just pass the Quaffle around, really quickly, and whoever happened to have a good shot would just take it. It really confused the opposing Keeper, since he'd never know who was going to take the shot. And the way they shot the ball—amazing. They made it seem like they were catching and shooting it in just one stroke. I've wanted to play Chaser since then."

Harry grinned at Ginny in amusement. Meeting someone who loved Quidditch as much as he did was always an enjoyable experience. It left him with a lighthearted feeling, knowing that he wasn't the only one who was insane about the game. He never thought, in all the years he knew her, that Ginny Weasley would be one of them.

"I guess it's safe to assume that your team is the Wanderers," she went on in the same breath. She eyed his blood-red shirt, which, true enough, had the words 'Wigtown Wanderers' written across the chest.

"Guilty," he said with a shrug. "Since I was six too."

"Really? How come?" she said, a look of mild confusion evident on her face. "Your Dad used to play for the Arrows, didn't he?"

"The Arrows, then the Magpies," replied Harry, "He took me to an Arrows game when I was six—he was already playing for the Magpies at the time. Anyway, he took me to cheer for the Arrows, or maybe he just wanted to spy on them. They were playing against the Wanderers, and well," Harry grinned at Ginny, "Let's just say the Wanderers caught my eye. They played better, they had really good teamwork, _and_ they won the game…"

"And of course, blood-red is more eye-catching than pale blue," joked Ginny.

Harry burst into a fit of laughter.

"What? It's true!" she said when he didn't stop. "To the eyes of a six year old, blood-red is more interesting than blue! Blue's boring, and well, red's always better."

"Go Gryffindor," he said with only the slightest hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah," she said with a chuckle. "Go Gryffindor!"

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, basking in their Gryffindor prides. Ginny started tossing the Quaffle up and down again and Harry started pulling on the grass around him. He broke the silence this time.

"Hey, wanna try out the Firebolt?" he offered.

"Seriously?" she asked in a small voice and looked disbelievingly at him.

"Yeah, sure, why not—"

"Oh yes, yes, yes!" she exclaimed excitedly as she jumped up on her feet.

Harry laughed, sharing her excitement. He too stood up and grabbed his Firebolt. "Here you go," he said, handing the broom to her. She took it reverently and ran her free hand along its length.

"It's vibrating," she said in awe, giving him a look of pure bliss.

"Well, go on, try it out," he encouraged, grinning at her.

She returned his grin, then brought one leg over the Firebolt so she was poised and ready to fly. He looked on expectantly, waiting for her to take off. The Firebolt was the best and fastest broom in existence, but it wasn't as easy to handle as the Nimbus series. It took a more than average skill with a broom to be able to fly it smoothly. This was his final indicator of how good she really was.

Ginny suddenly took to the air like a bird, dragging Harry away from his thoughts. The breath caught in his throat. Most people who borrowed his Firebolt encountered a slight turbulence as they took off for the first time, unadjusted to its acceleration. Ginny, however, flew like she'd been riding a Firebolt her whole life. She flew like it was a second nature, riding the winds with a kind of effortless grace. He suddenly felt ashamed of himself for ever doubting her and her skill with a broom.

She took two laps around the pitch, sped skywards, then dipped towards the ground and landed smoothly in front of him.

"That was amazing!" they exclaimed in unison, Ginny talking about the Firebolt and Harry talking about the way she flew.

"The turns were so… I mean, with just a twitch—it's almost like it's reading my mind!" exclaimed Ginny.

Harry grinned and nodded knowingly at her. The Firebolt was harder to handle than the Nimbus, but for those who could master it, the broom became almost a part of their body.

"And the acceleration!" she continued excitedly. "Everything went blurry on my second lap. Amazing altitude threshold too, a Comet wouldn't be able to handle that, or even a Cleansweep. This is definitely the best broom in the world…."

She handed the broom over to Harry. He reached out to take it, but she gripped it tighter instead of letting go. He chuckled, she grinned at him, and a moment later, she finally let go of the Firebolt.

"Sorry, for a second there I wanted to wrestle it from you. Then I realized you're much bigger than I am," she joked. "Hey, maybe we should go back to the castle now," she added in the same breath.

"What time is it?" asked Harry, he had lost track.

Ginny looked at her watch. "Fifteen minutes to curfew," she replied.

"Yeah, we should go," he agreed. "Before Filch makes us clean the stands…."

Harry followed Ginny to the broom shed. The Comet she'd been riding was the school's property and she had to return it. He waited at the shed's door as she went in and put the Comet back in its proper place.

"I should come here more often," Harry said, more to himself than to Ginny. He didn't know why he'd only just thought of coming to the pitch that evening.

Ginny finished putting the Comet on its rack and turned towards him.

"I come here every week," she said. She walked towards the door, where he was standing. He took a step backwards to let her out. "Just join me," she offered, closing the door behind her.

"Yeah, sure," he said fervently. It certainly sounded better than flying by himself.

"Great," she said with a nod. They started heading for the castle. "I go to the pitch on Saturdays usually. Sometimes weekdays too, when I have nothing to do, but mostly just Saturdays. I'll meet you at the pitch this Saturday then?"

"What time?"

"Well, since there are no practices, we can start early," she said. "I always go at around four this year…."

"Okay… Quidditch pitch, Saturday, four pm," said Harry, ticking them off with his fingers.

Ginny grinned and nodded her confirmation at him. They walked in comfortable silence, into the castle's Entrance Hall, up the staircases and along the hallways to the Gryffindor tower. Harry had a million things he wanted to know about Ginny, but he couldn't form the questions in his head. He looked sideways at her. She looked rather tired, which was probably why she was so quiet. Normally, one could always count on her to talk about something.

"You look tired," he commented. It was only a few minutes before nine after all, not really past anyone's bedtime—anyone in Hogwarts, at least.

"I had two weeks of detention with Snape," she replied grimly. "Yesterday was the last. I haven't had enough sleep since the week before last."

"What did you do?" he asked, not accusatorily.

"I was fighting with this Ravenclaw in my year," she explained. "He kept teasing my friend Luna, and not in a friendly way. I would have just ignored him, but he started talking about her Mum. I know he probably didn't know that her Mum died when she was young, but I got really angry at him then. So I hexed him. And he hexed me back…. Anyway, it turned into some sort of wand fight, but it wasn't really much—he sucked."

A mischievous grin started playing on Ginny's lips. "He was dancing this Hawaiian jig by the time I finished with him," she continued reminiscently. "It was almost worth the detention."

"So Snape caught you," said Harry. He wasn't surprised about Ginny's reaction to the Ravenclaw boy's teasing. She had a temper that could put her mother's to shame. It was one of the things he actually knew about her.

"Yeah," she replied dryly. "Of all the teachers that could have caught us…. I mean, okay, we did fight in the hallway, we deserved a detention. But two weeks! And with that idiot Ravenclaw! Sometimes I can't decide whether he's too strict or he just likes seeing students suffer."

"Probably the second one," Harry said vindictively. "Snape's a git."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," she agreed.

"Did you know that he's friends with my Mum?" he told her.

"Balderdash!" she said loudly.

"What?" he asked, confused.

Ginny chuckled. "The password," she said, pointing at the portrait of the Fat Lady, who had obviously just woken up.

"Oh, I thought you meant—never mind."

The portrait swung forward. Harry let Ginny through first before going in himself.

"So your Mum's friends with Snape?" she asked him as the portrait closed behind them. "_Why_?"

"I keep asking the same thing myself," he said, shrugging. "Dad said it's just one of those things. _I_ don't know what he means. He obviously doesn't like Snape either, but he puts up with him for Mum. Says I have to do it too…."

"So does Snape go to your house, too?" she asked, a slight look of disgust evident on her face. She was obviously trying to get the idea around her head.

"Sometimes," said Harry. He screwed his face up at the memories of Snape's visits. "I always try to avoid him. Mostly I go to the Quidditch Centre, sometimes I hang out with Sirius, but Mum always insists that we all have dinner together. It was really weird—I've never seen Dad, or Snape, act so formal."

Ginny burst out laughing, probably at the thought of him, his parents, and Snape in the same dinner table. He supposed it was funny, if only he wasn't part of it.

"Damn, I would not want to be you during those times," she said emphatically.

"Tell me 'bout it—"

"Oi, what are you two doing standing there?" someone called.

Harry turned to the direction of the caller and saw Ron sitting with Hermione and Neville on the chairs by the fireplace. Harry and Ginny walked towards them.

"Hi guys," Ginny greeted pleasantly. Hermione and Neville smiled at her while Ron just nodded. "Well, I'm going to bed now," she continued. "See you Saturday, Harry. Good night guys."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville said their good nights, and then Ginny turned and headed for the girls' dormitories. Harry took a seat beside Hermione and placed his Firebolt carefully on the floor nearby. He took out his bag from under the table, where he had left it, and fished out a quill and a roll of parchment. He wrote his name at the top and, feeling his best friends' eyes on him, looked up to see the astonished expressions on their faces. He chuckled, amused. He understood their surprise. It wasn't like him to do his homework without having to be told, but he had to start with his History of Magic essay now if he wanted to free up his Saturday.

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_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7**  
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	2. Quidditch and Everything After 2

Harry went to visit Hagrid with Ron, Hermione, and Neville on Saturday morning. They stayed there for most of the day, catching up with him. The moment they got in his hut, Hagrid had started telling them about his 'good' news.

"The Skrewts are gettin' bigger!" he had said with an enthusiastic grin that Harry and the others could not return.

Hagrid then went on to talk about the Skrewts' eating habits and whether they would grow armors, fangs, or pincers. It wasn't really an enjoyable thought, but Harry couldn't help laughing at the horrified expressions on his best friends' faces that Hagrid thought Harry was as excited about the Skrewts as he was. He had almost invited himself to nights with Blast-Ended Skrewts, if not for the very handy excuse of piles of homework to finish. After that, Harry steered the conversation away from the Skrewts—he liked being on the safe side of things from time to time.

As was normal during that year, the conversation turned to the upcoming Triwizard Tournament. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville tried to get Hagrid to tell them about the method of selection of the contestants and the tasks they had to perform, but surprisingly, nothing came out of him. It was thus that they left Hagrid's hut still quite in the dark about the Tournament.

Harry headed for the Quidditch pitch, carrying his Firebolt with him. It was still five minutes to four when he arrived. He scanned the air for Ginny but didn't see any sign of her, so he figured that she was still making her way towards the pitch. He made his way to the stands and waited for Ginny to arrive.

"Hey, you're early," called Ginny. She was walking towards him, a Quaffle clipped under her arm. He checked his watch—four on the dot.

"I was at Hagrid's," he explained, gesturing to his friend's hut near the Forbidden Forest. He stood up to meet Ginny.

"I'll just go get a broom," she said, and headed towards the broom shed. Harry followed her.

"How's Hagrid?" she asked conversationally. "I haven't visited him this term."

"Still Hagrid," he replied. "He couldn't stop talking about the Blast-Ended Skrewts."

"You mean the _Blasted_ Skrewts?" she said in mock vindictiveness.

"Is that what they're called now?" he asked, chuckling. She nodded at him with a gravity that only a child could muster, making him burst out in amused laughter.

Presently, Harry and Ginny stopped in front of the door to the broom shed. Ginny rested her Quaffle against a wall to prevent it from rolling.

"You know what I just realized?" said Harry. Ginny straightened and turned to face him. "You have to have permission to get a broom, and you can't open the shed with _Alohomora_, how did you get in this Wednesday? Actually, how _do_ you get in?"

Ginny grinned mischievously at him and deliberately turned to face the door, as if to say '_watch and learn'_. She took from her pocket a pair of what looked like straightened metal paperclips and started picking the lock. Harry's jaw dropped.

"How…?"

She looked up at him and started laughing softly. He must have been wearing a stupid expression. Realizing that it was still open, he closed his mouth.

"Fred and George," she said as a way of explanation. A click sounded and she twisted the doorknob. A moment later, the door opened and she went in to get a broom.

Well, of course it was Fred and George. Harry had seen them use it once. But Ginny? He thought he had found out enough about her during that Wednesday evening. He realized now that he had to rearrange that trunk again. Really, he should organize that trunk, who knew what other things he would find out about her. He ought to have seen this one though. There _was_ a reason her grins were so mischievous.

Once he had gotten over his new-found realization of Ginny's mischievous streak, Harry realized something else. By that time, Ginny had chosen a broom, the same Comet 180 she had used last Wednesday. She walked out of the shed and closed the door behind her, not locking it.

"How come it opens with the paperclips and not with Alohomora?" he wondered.

"They didn't think people would use paperclips?" she ventured nonchalantly.

"They should have thought of everything," he commented. "They should have made sure that it was secure in every angle."

Professor Lupin, Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, his father's close friend, and easily his favorite teacher, had told him that. If you have to secure something, secure it from every possible angle.

"It's not like they were hiding _gold_ or something," said Ginny. "And besides," she continued, a grin playing on her face, "I wouldn't have anything to fly on if they 'secured every angle'."

Harry was right. "Race you to the other end of the pitch?" he challenged, gesturing to the goalposts. "I'll give you a head start."

She scoffed. "I do not need your head start," she said, pretending to be insulted and glaring mockingly at him.

"You sure?" he asked lightly. "Firebolt versus Comet," he reminded her, waving the Firebolt around to emphasize his point.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him, then at the Firebolt. She seemed to be considering her options.

"Okay," she finally said. "Thirty seconds…"

Thirty seconds wasn't really a fair head start. His Firebolt was light-years ahead of her Comet in speed alone, but he recognized a final tone anywhere. And from the little he knew of Ginny Weasley, he understood that when she said it's final, it _is_ final.

"Okay, thirty seconds it is."

She grinned at him one last time before taking off towards the end of the pitch. Harry counted thirty seconds, then mounted his Firebolt and sped after her. Needless to say, he won the race. He hovered among the goalposts, waiting for her to get there, which took about a minute. He grinned smugly at her.

"I was handicapped," she defended. He didn't say anything, his wide, smug grin spoke for him.

"Whatever," she said flatly. Unable to help himself, he started chuckling. She gave him a grudging smile and started circling the goalposts.

"So, what are we going to do now?" he asked her. Usually, he would just fly around the pitch practicing his tricks.

"Shoot goals," she said in a stating-the-obvious sort of way. "Oh wait, I forgot my Quaffle." She turned in the air and started flying back towards the broom shed, where she had left the ball.

"Wait, Ginny!" Harry called after her. She checked her direction and faced him with a questioning look on her face. "I wanna try this out," he told her. He wanted to do the Summoning Charm, he had only just gotten it right yesterday, and he wanted to see if he could make it work from a distance.

"_Accio_!" he cried, pointing his wand at the direction of the Quaffle. For a second, he thought it hadn`t worked, but then the ball rose from the ground and started speeding in his direction.

"Yeah!" he yelled, catching the Quaffle. He held it up to Ginny, showing off. "I nailed it!" He hadn't really expected his Summoning Charm to work from that far, but he had done it. He wanted to tell everyone he knew, no matter how unimportant it seemed. "I did it!"

Ginny grinned amusedly at him. "_Accio_?" she asked, speaking the word as though she was testing its roll in her tongue.

Harry nodded at her, still beaming from his success. She took her wand from her pocket and pointed it in his direction. He thought that he had annoyed her and she wanted to hex him, but he realized a moment later that she was trying the Summoning Charm.

"_Accio_!" she cried, concentrating on the Quaffle in Harry's hand. It didn't move.

"Hey, that's a grade four spell, you know," he told her.

"_Accio_!" she cried again, obviously not listening to him. This time, the Quaffle rolled from Harry's hand.

"Whoa!" he cried as he caught the Quaffle that had fallen from his hands. He looked up at Ginny. She was wearing a thoughtful expression.

"You know, I could achieve the same effect by using Expelliarmus on you," she said. He looked at her in alarm, wondering if she was really going to do it, but she only grinned at him. Hopefully, she was just joking.

"Don't worry, I won't do it," she assured him. She turned her attention back to the Quaffle. She concentrated on it for a long time, wand at the ready. A few minutes later, she took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and cried, "_Accio_!"

The red ball flew from Harry's hand and headed towards Ginny. She caught it smoothly, laughing like a child being tickled as she did so. He was dumbstruck.

"Okay," he began. That was it. He had had enough. "What _can't_ you do?" he asked. It seemed so much easier than asking what she _could_ do. The list of answers would probably be much shorter.

She looked at him, amused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"It took me a week to get that right!" he exclaimed. He was slightly put off. To be outdone by someone younger than he was—it wasn't exactly a good feeling.

"Hey, don't take it too badly," she told him, the grin not leaving her face. "I just happen to be good at Charms," she added, not in a bragging way.

He grinned at her, satisfied with her answer. There were those kinds of people—his mum was one. He suddenly felt a little childish for resenting the fact that she had mastered the Summoning Charm in no time.

"Hey, check this out," called Ginny.

She swung her arm a certain way and threw the Quaffle at Harry. He was still thinking about her Summoning Charm though and was not ready for the ball that was coming towards him. He quickly held out his hand, but did not expect to catch it. However, the ball spun around his hand so that it was securely in his grip by the time it stopped.

"Whoa," he murmured, amazed. For a moment, he thought he had gotten better at catching things, but then he realized it had something to do with the way Ginny had thrown the ball at him. "How did you do that?"

"Here, I'll show you," she said. She flew towards him and gestured for him to pass the Quaffle to her. He did so, and she caught it deftly.

"Alright, so you know how the Quaffle is charmed to fall slowly downwards?" she asked rhetorically.

"Yeah…" he replied, wondering where this was going.

"The concept is to use that charm to let the Quaffle go right smack into your teammates' hand," she explained. "It's quite useful, especially when you're in a really fast-paced situation… You see, the charm only activates when the Quaffle is falling, but there's still traces left of it when it's not activated—that's what you use for this trick…. Well, I'm not really sure how it works—how that trace is being used, I mean—but you just swing you arm like this—"

She demonstrated it, swinging her arm in a clockwise-backwards motion.

"—and then," she continued, "at the last second—at the instance before the ball leaves your hand—you flick your fingers this way—"

She demonstrated the correct way to flick the fingers.

"—so that the ball spins towards the direction of your teammate. Anyway, what happens is the ball tries to find a solid thing for it to sort of rest on. And just so long as it hits your hand, it will spin to your palm. The Gripping charm is used in this too…. Somehow, they manipulate the air around the ball so that your teammate will always be able to catch it."

Harry looked at Ginny with a blank expression on his face. He was distracted by all the explanations about how the charms on the Quaffle, coupled with the spins applied to it, made it easy to catch for his teammate. She laughed at the look on his face.

"Okay, the technicalities aren't really necessary," she said, amused. "Just do it this way."

She demonstrated the trick again, this time without the confusing explanations. It made much more sense to him, now that it was just movements. It even looked familiar.

"Oh, I know that!" he exclaimed. "My Dad tried to teach me that trick when I was younger… I never got it. I found it too bothersome at the time. I was more interested in his broom tricks."

"Born to be a Seeker, huh?" she said half-jokingly.

"Born to be a Chaser, huh?" he parried, passing the Quaffle back to her. She rolled her eyes at him. "Did someone teach you that trick, or did you learn it on your own?"

"Charlie taught me," she replied. "Do I look like someone who would research about all those charms and stuff?"

Well, he wasn't sure. On the one hand, he knew that she was not like Hermione. She definitely did not go around the library researching charms. On the other hand, she really loved Quidditch and Chasing, so maybe she _would_ research it. In the end, he gave her a shrug.

"Charlie taught me," she said again, just to be clear. She passed the Quaffle to Harry, who, ready this time, caught it expertly. "He's the only one among my brothers who knows that I sneak out at night trying each of their brooms—"

"You sneak out?" asked Harry. He was a little confused. "Why? Don't they know that you can fly?"

"Well, I guess they know—"

He passed the Quaffle back to her.

"—but they don't know that I really love it as much as they do. I mean, they don't know that I put a lot of time into it…."

"So Charlie's the only one who knows?"

"Yeah…."

She turned to the directions of the goal posts and shot the Quaffle. It went smoothly through the middle hoop. Harry went to retrieve the slowly falling ball.

"Charlie's really good, isn't he," he commented. He had played with Charlie that summer and he now understood why Charlie was a legend at Hogwarts.

"Yeah, he is," agreed Ginny. "When he found out that I could fly, he began teaching me about Quidditch. I got almost everything I knew from him."

"Ah…no wonder you're so good," Harry said half-jokingly, passing her the ball.

Ginny shrugged at him in mock-conceit, Quaffle in one hand. He laughed at her reaction, and she suddenly threw the Quaffle at him, not using her technique. His reflexes were pretty quick though and he was able to catch the ball smoothly. He mirrored her boastful shrug, making her laugh in amusement.

"So, who taught you?" asked Ginny.

"Flying or Quidditch?"

"Cooking," she said sarcastically. Harry ignored her comment.

"Dad taught me about Quidditch," he said. "As for flying, I'm not really sure," he admitted. "I've known how to fly for as long as I can remember, but most likely my Dad—"

"As if there's anyone else—"

"Well, Sirius claims that he was the one who taught me."

"And you believe him?" she asked incredulously.

"Actually, I like to think that I was born knowing how to fly," he replied. "It's inborn," he added grandly, shooting the ball smoothly through one of the hoops.

Ginny gave a disbelieving snort. "You _are_ pretty good though," she conceded after a moment. "Even when you were in first year, Ron told me. Did you play too? I mean, before you came to Hogwarts? Where?"

Harry flew back up from retrieving the Quaffle.

"I don't really play as in _play_—like in a seven-a-side team," he said, "but I always fly with my Dad at the—"

"Quidditch Centre," they said in unison.

"Of course," said Ginny. "How could I forget, you own the _Potter_ Quidditch Centre."

"My parents own it, not me," Harry corrected her as he passed the Quaffle to her.

"Yeah, but it'll be yours someday," she said, easily catching the ball.

"Oh, don't remind me," he said darkly. He didn't really like the idea of managing the Quidditch Centre, of taking over the 'family business'. Sure, he worked there during summers, but it was only minding the store, or cleaning the equipment, or keeping track of the rent-time on the pitch. Management, however, was another matter, especially something as big as the Quidditch Centre.

"Don't you want it?" she asked, confused. "It's Quidditch!" she added, sounding as though it settled everything.

"Well yeah, Quidditch is fun, but I think business will take the fun out of it. I don't know…I'm just not a business type of person."

"Business isn't that bad. I've seen Fred and George at it. They make it seem fun, actually…. And besides, it's Quidditch!"

"Alright, when I get the Centre I'll let you manage it," he told her jokingly. "We'll even share the profit."

"No problem," she said, cottoning on to his joke. "Just let me know when you do get it."

Ginny threw the Quaffle at Harry, using her passing technique again. He grinned as the Quaffle spun on his hand.

"You should try that," she said, "it's really cool."

"Well, teach me then."

"I _am_ teaching you. Here, pass that back—just do what I do."

Harry practiced Ginny's passing technique for a while. Sometimes, he got the swing right, at others, he got the flicking of the fingers. Sometimes, he could do both right (or at least he thought he did them right), but he just couldn't get the ball to fly smack into Ginny's hand.

"Argh, this is annoying!" he said after about the umpteenth frustrated try.

"Don't beat yourself up," she told him. "It took me about a month to get that right."

"Yeah, but you were still a kid then, weren't you?"

"I was nine."

"See," he said, sounding as though he had proved her wrong with something. "I'm fourteen now—much older than you were when you learned that trick."

"So?"

"I'm much older," he said again, "I should get it quicker."

"What does age have to do with it?" she asked testily. "Ron's older than me and I'm more mature than he is."

Harry snorted. He couldn't help but agree with her. He looked at her, amused. For the longest time, he had thought of her as a little kid, simply because she was a year younger than him. But it was all starting to change now. She wasn't a little girl. She was actually someone he could hang out with. Age really didn't have anything to do with it.

"Can we just not continue with this," he said, almost pleadingly.

"Are you quitting?" she accused.

"No! I'm just taking a break," he defended. "Hey, it took you a month, didn't it? I still have twenty-nine days."

"I thought that '_you should get it quicker 'cause you're older_'," she quoted wryly.

"Well, age doesn't matter," he conceded. "You said so yourself."

Ginny laughed, passing the Quaffle to Harry. The ball changed hands from time to time. Sometimes, one of them would shoot it through the hoops and the other would retrieve it. Between the two of them, it was quite clear who was the better scorer. He might have a lot more flying tricks up his sleeve, but he knew he couldn't shoot the ball as surely and as smoothly as she did. She really was a natural Chaser.

"Let's get back?" Ginny said after a while, the statement more of a suggestion than a question. "I'm hungry."

Harry checked his watch. It _was_ dinnertime, and he was hungry too. Looking around, he realized that the magical stadium lights were already on. It had been a cloudy day, so he hadn't noticed them being turned on in place of the sun's light.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too."

Ginny started flying towards the ground. Harry followed and landed smoothly beside her. He wordlessly tossed the Quaffle to her and they walked towards the broom shed, where she deposited the Comet she had borrowed.

"You coming here next Saturday?" she asked as she got out of the shed, locking the door behind her.

"Yeah."

"Let's come earlier," she suggested. "The Champions will be chosen next Saturday. We don't want to miss that."

"Oh yeah, it's already Halloween next Saturday," he said, just realizing the fact. "What time should we come here then?"

"How about two-thirty?"

"Two-thirty's fine," he said, nodding and grinning at her.

She looked up at him, returning his grin with her own, which never seemed to lose its trace of mischief even when she wasn't doing anything mischievous.

"Two-thirty it is," she decided.

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7_  
_


	3. Quidditch and Everything After 3

When Harry arrived at the Quidditch pitch at exactly two-thirty in the afternoon on Halloween, he found that Ginny had gotten there ahead of him. She was just emerging from the broom shed, Quaffle in one hand, Comet 180 in the other. Looking at it now, he realized how decrepit the Comet really was. She didn't have a choice though. The Comet was the best broom Hogwarts had. It had recently been donated by a student who had gotten a newer model. It was certainly better than the Shooting Stars, but it didn't suit her.

"Where's Ron?" she asked as he approached. He had told her earlier that week that he had invited Ron to come that Saturday.

"He was just fighting with Hermione about the Champions when I left," he told her. "I think he was too engrossed in that argument to want to come, so I left him."

He put one leg over his Firebolt and took off into the air. Ginny followed him a second later.

"The Champions?" she asked incredulously as she leveled with him. "There's no topic that's safe from them, is there? So, why did they fight?"

"Well, Hermione said that she thought that Cedric Diggory would probably be chosen for Hogwarts and Ron accused her of liking him because he's 'handsome'. And then, Ron said that _he_ thought that pretty girl from Beauxbatons would be chosen, and Hermione accused him of thinking so only because _she's_ pretty. Not really that simple, but that's about the short of it."

"Boy, those two have issues," she said, chuckling. She shot the Quaffle through the rightmost hoop then flew to retrieve it. "Which Beauxbatons girl did you mean? The blonde one who walks like she's floating?"

"Yeah," he replied, snorting at her description.

"She seems snobbish."

"She's really pretty though."

Ginny chuckled. "That's what my friend Edmund said this morning," she said, passing the Quaffle to him. "I guess…I can sort of see what you guys mean. She's really beautiful—you never see that sort of beauty in Hogwarts. It's different, somehow…."

"Ron reckons she's a Veela," said Harry. "Maybe she is, but I think there are still some prettier girls here in Hogwarts," he added, thinking of Cho. Sure, the Beauxbatons girl had a sort of ethereal beauty, but he thought that Cho was prettier. She had a really cute smile and, Harry thought, shiny black hair was way better than blond. Pulling himself back to reality, he tried to shoot the Quaffle through the middle hoop—it missed.

"Yeah? So, who's prettier than Veela girl?" Ginny asked teasingly as she flew back from retrieving the ball.

"Nobody," lied Harry, but he could feel the blood rising up his cheeks. He flew towards the goal posts in the pretense of waiting for her to shoot the ball, but in reality, he was just hiding his face from her. "I was just generalizing."

Suddenly, she burst into a fit of laughter. "Oh, don't bother hiding it Harry," she said. "I know you like Cho."

He turned his head sharply towards her, shocked. He heard his neck crick, but he ignored it. His face was really heating up as he started spluttering.

"Wh—what—how did, how—?"

"You're blushing," she teased, pointing at him. She was obviously enjoying his embarrassment.

"How did you know?" he finally asked. It seemed useless to deny it, and there was something about Ginny that somehow made him very open and candid with her.

"Oh, don't get mad," she began, shooting the Quaffle through the middle hoop. Harry went to retrieve it. "I was talking with Hermione about how you played last year. I wondered why you seemed like you weren't doing your best when you played Ravenclaw. There was a point when I thought you were going to let Cho catch the Snitch! I got annoyed because I thought you went easy on her because she was a girl. I mean, just because she's a girl doesn't mean she's not as good as the other Seekers," Ginny explained pointedly. "I thought you were, you know, one of those boys who think they're better than girls. I was going to give you a…er…piece of my mind, so Hermione went and told me why you didn't seem to be doing your best," Ginny said sheepishly. "Are you mad?" she asked.

"Why would I be mad?" asked Harry.

"Because Hermione told me about Cho," she said in a stating-the-obvious sort of way.

"No, I'm not mad," he said, and he really wasn't. If it had been someone else, he would probably be mad at Hermione, but he found that he didn't mind Ginny knowing about Cho—or anything about him, really. He smiled reassuringly and passed her the Quaffle, which she shot smoothly through one of the hoops.

"So who do you think the Hogwarts Champion will be?" she asked as Harry retrieved the Quaffle.

"Angelina, I hope," he answered eagerly, glad for the change of topic. Sure, he didn't mind Ginny knowing about who he liked, but he somehow felt uncomfortable talking to her about it. He wasn't comfortable talking to Hermione about it either, but more so with Ginny. He assumed that it was because he and Ginny hadn't known each other long enough.

"I hope it's Angelina too," she said. "But I think Cedric's got the best chance of being chosen. He's really quite good—and I'm not just saying that 'cause he's handsome," she added jokingly.

He chuckled at her statement. "Cedric _is_ good," he conceded. He threw the Quaffle through the middle hoop and she went to retrieve it. "But I still hope Angelina gets chosen."

"Yeah, it'd be someone from Gryffindor…"

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

"But I think Cedric would really deserve it if he gets chosen," said Ginny. "I don't know, but part of me wants to see him get chosen—"

Harry passed the Quaffle to her, and she caught it and passed it back to him in one smooth movement.

"—He's sort of Hufflepuff's 'saving grace'. I mean, I think it's good for Hufflepuff if the champion is from their house."

"I know what you mean," he said. "And I guess Cedric would have the support of all the houses. If it was someone from Gryffindor, Slytherins probably wouldn't support them, and Gryffindors probably won't want to support Slytherins too. I know I wouldn't."

"And Cedric's really good too," she said fervently. "And he's an _amazing_ flier, isn't he? Nothing on you though," she added half-jokingly.

Harry snorted, not really knowing how to react to her statement. With Ginny, he was never sure whether she was actually complimenting or just teasing, or both. He passed the Quaffle back to her.

"And he can't do this," he said. He pulled the nose of his broom towards his head and accelerated, so that he spun vertically in the air.

He grinned smugly at her as he finished his trick. She raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed.

"Show off," she muttered.

"Want me to teach you?" he offered.

"Yes," she said eagerly, flying closer to him. Her excitement was evident in her eyes.

He laughed, amused at the way she changed tack so quickly.

"Alright, put your Quaffle down first," he instructed. "This is a broom-only trick."

"Yessir!" she said excitedly. She took out her wand and levitated her Quaffle towards the ground.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You know there's such a thing called gravity, right?" he said sarcastically. "You could've just dropped the ball…."

"I don't want it to get damaged," she explained.

"And you do also know that it's charmed to fall slowly downwards."

"Yeah, but still, you'll never know," she said. Harry's eyebrows rose to the heavens. "I don't want to just drop it, okay," she told him pointedly, "especially at this height."

"Alright, whatever you say," he said, grinning at her.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him, but he could tell that she was trying not to smile. This made him grin even wider.

"Oh, come one, just teach me your trick," she finally said.

"Alright, alright," Harry gave in. "How about you try to do it, and I'll tell you where you went wrong."

She huffed. "As if I'll go wrong," she said in a mock-offended tone. She accelerated and pulled the nose of her broom upwards, but she shot high up into the air instead of spinning vertically like he did.

"As if you'll go wrong, huh?" he called, chuckling.

Ginny flew back down towards him, grinning. "Okay, hit me," she said lightly.

"Right, what you did was you accelerated first before pulling the broom upwards," explained Harry. "What you should do is pull the broom upwards first before accelerating. I mean, you can accelerate before pulling up, but you have to accelerate more once you've pulled the nose up. And also, don't just pull it up, you also have to pull it backwards. And make sure the timing's right, otherwise, it won't work."

"Okay," she said, nodding slowly. "Pull first before accelerating, also, pull up and pull back. And make sure the timing's right—can you do it again?"

He demonstrated the trick, spinning vertically on the air.

"Okay, here goes," exclaimed Ginny.

She took a deep breath and tried to do the trick again, but all she achieved was shooting upwards. She tried the trick a few times more. Sometimes, she would shoot up into the air, at other times it would seem like she was going to execute the trick but she would always lose control at the peak and her broom would lean sideward, making her spin horizontally. She was getting more and more frustrated at each attempt, but she showed no signs of wanting to stop.

"Alright, stop," he called after a while. She finally stopped and turned to face him, still looking quite frustrated. "The Comet's too slow," he said, "why don't you try it with the Firebolt?"

This seemed to cheer her up. "Okay," she said eagerly, smiling at him. He returned her smile and started flying towards the ground.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"We're going to swap brooms," he said. It was quite obvious, really. "We need to get to the ground."

"Hey, why don't we swap up here," she suggested excitedly.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah!"

"No way!"

"Oh come on," she cajoled. "I never got to try it. Charlie never agrees to do it."

"Maybe because he values his life," he pointed out wryly.

"It will be fun," she reasoned, grinning at him.

He couldn't help but return her grin. "You don't want to drop the Quaffle from this height, but you suggest that we swap brooms up here," he said, shaking his head. "You're a little insane, you know that?"

"Everybody's a little insane," she said matter-of-factly. "Come on, it will be fun," she said again, wriggling her eyebrows meaningfully.

"Oh, alright," he said, giving in. It was hard to resist her when she was smiling like that, and it did sound fun.

"Yeah! That's the spirit!" she exclaimed happily.

"So, how do we go about this?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know, we'll find a way," she said casually. He looked sardonically at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Alright, how about, I go this way and you go that way, and then we'll sort of get on each other's brooms," she suggested.

Harry flew towards Ginny. They tried to do what she just said, but it was a little tricky and not at all practical. They tried a number of different ways, but none of them worked. One of them would probably end up falling if they continued with them. And they would alternately burst out laughing as the other tried to maneuver their way around. In the end, he was still on his Firebolt and she was still on the Comet.

"Oh, this isn't going to work," said Harry. Ginny was still gripping the Firebolt and she couldn't stop laughing, making it wobble.

"Oh, come on, we just need to think this through," she said, straightening up and gripping her own broom.

"Fine," he said, "let's just fly lower, I don't really feel like breaking my bones."

She looked down, and realizing the wisdom of what he just suggested, said, "Yeah, alright."

They turned their brooms downwards and stopped when their feet were only inches away from the ground. She looked at him, grinning.

"I think I've figured it out," she said breathlessly. "This might actually work."

"What is it?"

She told him. He looked approvingly at her, grinning and nodding.

"Yeah, I think that would actually work!"

"Alright! Let's do it!"

They flew and positioned themselves so that they were a few feet away from each other. He was on the right, she on the left, and they faced the same direction.

"Hey, move forward," she called.

"No, you move forward," he said. "I've got a longer reach than you, I should be the one behind."

"Okay." She moved forward a little. "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Go!"

Both of them lifted a leg—Harry his left, and Ginny her right—and stretch them towards each other. Slowly, they flew sideward, closing the gap between them, until their brooms were side by side. They put their legs back down simultaneously and grinned at each other. They were both riding on the two brooms, Ginny in front and Harry at the back.

"Lock," she said, and took a deep breath.

She gripped the Firebolt with her right hand and the Comet with her left. He moved forward a little and reached his left hand around her to grip the Comet. She finally let go of the Comet and gripped the Firebolt with both hands. He slowly let go of the Firebolt, but he started swaying as he did so.

"Whoa!"

"What are you doing?" she asked incredulously. "Hold on to my shoulder, you don't want to fall do you?"

"Oh, right." He brushed her hair out of the way and held on to her shoulder.

"Release?" she asked.

"Release."

They each lifted a leg again—Harry his right, Ginny her left—and started flying sideward, this time away from each other. By the time they had finished with their whole maneuver, he was riding the Comet and she was riding the Firebolt. They looked excitedly at each other, jaws dropped, and started laughing.

"We did it!" she exclaimed happily. Her face was flushed with triumph, and he knew his was too.

"Yeah," he said shakily, tightening his grip around the Comet.

"We did it!"

She started laughing again, and took off towards the goal posts. He raced after her, but the Comet was annoyingly slow. He didn't know how she could ride a broom like that and not lose her temper. She was still laughing by the time he reached her a couple of minutes later.

"This broom is really slow," he complained.

"Race you to other end of the pitch," she teased, flying swiftly around the goalposts, prompting him to roll his eyes.

"You still have that trick to master," he reminded her. It was, after all, the reason why they had swapped brooms.

She gave him one of her more mischievous grins and shifted a little on the Firebolt, readying for the trick. She took a deep breath, pulled the broom upwards, and accelerated a second later. He thought she was going to get it, but she lost control again at the peak. This time, the broom was too fast and it kept going straight while she hung upside down on it. She was heading for one of the goal posts, fast.

"Ginny!" he called in alarm and concern.

She managed to gain control, swinging herself right-side up and slowing the Firebolt down. But she was still accelerating towards the goal post. She swerved at the last instant, but her shoulder hit the post, and she spun in the air—two full spins before she managed to stop.

"Ginny! Are you alright?" asked Harry, his voice tightening with distress. His heart was beating so fast he was surprised it hadn't burst out yet.

Her face was turned down, away from him. Her knuckles were white. And then, she started shaking.

"Ginny—?"

A chuckling noise came from her. She looked up at him, grinning mischievously. Then she started laughing, a loud, mirthful laughter, and he was so relieved that she was alright that he started laughing too.

"Merlin! You almost gave me a heart attack back there," he said breathlessly. This only made her laugh harder. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," she said nonchalantly.

"You hit your shoulder, though," he said, "is that alright?"

"Just a little bruise," she said, feeling her shoulder gingerly.

He frowned. She was handling it casually, and it wasn't something to be handled casually. She ran into a post, for Merlin's sake! It could've been worse…. He tried not to think of that.

"Are you really alright?" he asked again.

"If you ask me that one more time I'm going to hex you," she warned. She was starting to get annoyed but he didn't heed her, he was a little angry with himself.

"I shouldn't have let you do that on a Firebolt," he said, more to himself than to Ginny. "That trick was too hard to master on a Firebolt."

"You do it on a Firebolt," she pointed out evenly.

"Only after I had mastered it on my Nimbus!"

"Well, unfortunately, we don't have a Nimbus," she said loudly. "So there…I'll have to master it on the Firebolt. Will you stop hovering?"

"I'm not _hovering_," he argued. "I'm just concerned—"

"Well, I have enough of that from my brothers, and my parents, and _Hermione_…so please, don't include yourself in that list."

He frowned at her, stung by her words. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, alright, you are allowed to be concerned," she said half-jokingly. "But only a little. And don't be like my brothers."

He lightened up, realizing how stupid it was to be offended by what she said. It was a little childish, even.

"I really am fine Harry," she said seriously. "So don't worry."

"All right, I won't," he said complacently. He cocked his head sideways and looked at her. At first, he had thought that she was a bit like Ron in that she was hot-tempered. After seeing how mischievous she was, he thought that she was a lot like Fred and George. She was a lot like Charlie too in the sense that she was really good at Quidditch. But, he realized now, she wasn't really like any of her brothers. She had some of their qualities (they were siblings, after all) but those qualities didn't really describe her. She was, simply, herself.

"Will you stop staring?" she demanded, interrupting him from his musings.

"Oh, sorry," he said. "I was just wondering which one of your brothers you're most like—"

"I am not my brothers," she said firmly. "I am me."

"Yes, I figured that out."

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7

_Some review questions and answers that everyone might like to know:_

**Q:** There's no Voldemort, so Ginny never got to the Chamber?  
**A:** No, Ginny was never possessed by Tom Riddle's diary, and she was never brought to the Chamber. I know that was a huge "character-development" thing for her but I just can't include it without destroying the whole premise of the story.

**Q:** Malfoy is not evil as usual?  
**A:** Malfoy is still a git.

**Q:** Harry's an only child?  
**A:** You'll find out in the next few chapters.

**Q:** Tonks and Remus are together?  
**A:** I haven't gotten to this point. But as of THIS chapter, they're not-YET. :D

**Q:** No Dobby?  
**A:** I'm not quite sure if Dobby will figure into the story, but he's "there". I have a whole backstory for him, but so far, I haven't gotten to a part where we would need him to, er, make an appearance.

**Q:** Harry's not into Cho?  
**A:** You have your answer in this chapter. :D

**Q:** No Triwizard Tournament?  
**A:** There is still a Triwizard Tournament, but no, Harry won't be participating in it. (Doesn't mean he won't get into some sort of trouble though. :p)

**Q:** Is there any particular reason why this story started in Harry's fourth year?  
**A:** There is a reason, but it's not as exciting as one might think. Simply put, I decided to start the story in Harry's 4th year 'cause he started fancying Cho in third year. I just don't think he would fancy another girl once he's gotten to know Ginny properly (that's just me, of course), so I decided to have him get close to her 'after' he started fancying Cho. As to why I want him fancying Cho... well, to make life more exciting, of course. :p Also, it would be pretty weird for Harry to fancy just one girl his whole life. And I just couldn't get him to fancy another girl after he got close with Ginny... Hope that makes sense. :)

**Q:** Are Harry and Ginny gonna get together much earlier than in the books?  
**A:** I will say that Harry started noticing Ginny much earlier than in the books. As for 'when' they will get together, well I can't answer that. Well, I've answered the reader who asked this question, but I can't bring myself to post the answer here. But you can PM me if you want an answer. I just don't want to post the answers where everyone can see. Yes, I know it's silly.


	4. Quidditch and Everything After 4

The sun was nearing the end of its lap across the mild October sky when Harry and Ginny decided to call it a day. They headed for the castle, the sun hanging half-hidden in the mountains behind them, coloring the sky with hues of red, orange, purple, and even green. When they entered the Great Hall, they realized that it was still quite early and there were only a few people around. Ron, Hermione, and Neville hadn't arrived yet and Ginny's friends weren't there either so they headed to the Gryffindor table and sat together, talking about the upcoming selection of the Triwizard Champions.

The sky that was reflected in the enchanted ceiling had turned dark and the stars had emerged by the time people started filling in, Ron, Hermione, and Neville among them. They sat across Harry and Ginny. Ron and Hermione were chatting pleasantly. They had either made up already or their fight had ended well. The other three joined Harry and Ginny's conversation, and the five of them started speculating about the possible Hogwarts Champion.

A few minutes later, Ginny's friends arrived with the other Gryffindor third years. Ginny was a very outgoing person and she had a lot of friends in Hogwarts, most of them from her own year. Among the Gryffindor third years, however, she could mostly be seen hanging around with Colin Creevey, a mousy-haired boy who couldn't be seen without a camera, Kimberly Seagill, a slender girl with straight black hair, Sarah Tilmitt, a kind faced girl with wavy hair and pronounced dimples, and Edmund Kinneas, a tall, sandy-haired boy with ears slightly larger than normal. Ginny's friends sat a few seats towards the end, and they hailed for her to come join them.

"See you guys later," Ginny said amiably, standing up and hitting Harry lightly on the shoulder. He, Ron, Hermione, and Neville smiled and nodded at her.

Ginny walked towards her friends and greeted them. At least Harry assumed that she was greeting them, he couldn't really hear what they were saying. She put an arm around her friend Kimberly's shoulder and another around Sarah, and squeezed herself between the two of them. Her friends said something to her, she replied with a casual shrug, and they burst out laughing. Harry shook his head, chuckling, and turned back to his friends, who were still talking about the possible Champions.

Presently, food started appearing on the table. It was quite a feast, but Harry couldn't wait for the announcement of the Champions. People were craning their heads at the staff table, impatiently waiting for Dumbledore to signal the end of the feast. At last, about half an hour later, the headmaster stood up and cleared his throat. Everyone fell silent as the Goblet of Fire was placed in front of the staff table, awaiting the announcement of the Champions with bated breath.

Dumbledore started calling out the names of the Champions while Ron provided a running commentary beside Harry. First, the Beauxbatons Champion was called: Fleur Delacour. ("It's her Harry!" Ron said excitedly. "It's her! The Veela girl!"). Next, the Durmstrang Champion: Viktor Krum. ("I knew it!" said Ron, hitting the table excitedly. Hermione looked disapprovingly at him). And lastly, the Hogwarts Champion was called.

"Cedric Diggory," announced Dumbledore. Ron's comments were drowned out as Cedric Diggory stood up and the Hogwarts students clapped vigorously. Everyone had been rooting for him, but it was the Hufflepuff students that practically exploded in celebration. Some cat-called, others wolf-whistled, and still others stood up and banged their fists on the table. One blonde-haired boy in Harry's year yelled, "Go, Cedric!" and the rest of the House echoed him. Dumbledore had to clear his throat twice for the hall to fall silent again.

The silence didn't last too long. As soon as Cedric entered the room where the other Champions had gone in, everyone started talking. Fred and George stood up and went around the Gryffindor table. Each person they approached would scratch their head and hand some amount of money to them, and the twins would grin smugly. Presently, Ginny motioned for them to approach her. They looked unsurely at each other before walking towards her. The three of them started talking. It seemed that they were arguing about something, the twins against Ginny. Her friends listened with expressions of amusement on their faces. They burst out laughing a couple of minutes later as the twins handed her some coins and walked away, scratching their heads. Harry couldn't help but laugh too. She had obviously bested the twins. She must have felt him looking at them because she turned to him and gave a friendly wave. He waved back, grinning widely at her.

* * *

Harry woke up early the following morning. He took a quill and a roll of parchment from his trunk and walked out of the room, taking care to close the door slowly so as not to wake his dorm-mates. It was a lazy Sunday morning and almost everyone was sleeping in. The only occupants of the common room were a couple of fifth years and a group of second years who were talking about last night's events. He took a seat on one of the chairs near the fireplace and started writing.

_Dear Dad,_

_Please send me my Nimbus. It would be really great if I get it before Saturday next. I have something important for it._

_Thanks,_

_Harry_

Satisfied with the letter, Harry headed for the Owlery and called Hedwig, asking her to send it to Godric's Hollow.

His Dad's reply came immediately on Monday morning. His tawny owl, Gertie, arrived with the other owls over breakfast, but Harry couldn't see any of them carrying a package that might be his Nimbus. He opened his Dad's letter and started reading.

_Dear Harry,_

_What do you mean you want me to send your Nimbus over there? Did something happen to your Firebolt? And besides, you're not holding Quidditch matches this year, are you?_

_Sorry for all the questions, but your Mum wants to know._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Harry borrowed a quill and parchment from Hermione and scribbled his reply.

_Dear Dad (and Mum),_

_The Firebolt's fine. I just want to loan the Nimbus to Ginny Weasley, you know her. She's an amazing flier. And Dad, she'll be really interested in learning your Chaser tricks, more than I ever was. She's really good at it too. Chasing, I mean. Anyway, she's been using one of the school's brooms. A Comet 180! We all know (well, maybe not you, Mum) that broom's ancient. A Nimbus would suit her better. And you would agree with me once you've seen her fly. And by the way Dad, she can do that trick you tried to teach me once, the Hand Magnet thing or whatever. You know what I mean. So, I'd like to loan her my Nimbus. I hope you send it before Saturday._

_Love,_

_Harry_

_P.S.: Ginny and I go flying on Saturdays, that's why I need the broom. Please send it. Thanks._

Gertie still needed to rest so Harry sent her to the Owlery. He folded the letter and put it inside the front pocket of his shirt for safekeeping. That evening, he went to the Owlery and instructed Hedwig to deliver the letter to his parents.

The Nimbus was delivered by three owls on Friday evening. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were the only ones left in the common room when the owls flew in through an open window and dropped the package on the table, knocking over the ink-bottle. If it weren't for Hermione's quick wand work, the four of them would have had to redo their Potions essays.

"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Ron, quickly grabbing his and Hermione's homework as she waved her wand and made the ink run back to the bottle. Harry and Neville also grabbed their respective essays.

The three owls, rented delivery by the looks of them, flew away in a flutter of wings, leaving the Nimbus and a letter on the table. Harry opened the letter first.

_Dear Harry,_

_I've sent your Nimbus with this letter. Hopefully, it would arrive before Saturday. Tell Ginny she can always come around the Centre this summer, or even Christmas. It would be great to have someone to pass my Chaser tricks on to. All you're ever interested in are flying tricks. Well, have fun. Your Mum says to be careful when you two go flying._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Harry looked up from his letter and turned his attention to the package. Ron had already started tearing the wrapping paper from it.

"Whoa, Harry," Ron began when he saw what was inside. "Is this your Nimbus?"

"Yeah."

"Why'd you have it sent here?"

"Oh, I'm going to loan that to Ginny."

"You're _what_?" Ron asked sharply. He looked incredulously at Harry, his eyebrows rising to the heavens. "What are you—what—did she ask you for it? Because you can always refuse if you don't want to loan it, you know. I'm sure she'll understand."

"No, Ron," said Harry. "Ginny didn't ask for it. She's using that Comet 180 in the broom shed, and that's really slow. I just thought this would be better for her."

"So she didn't ask you? And youjust thought you'd loan it to her? _Why?_"

"Well, in case you haven't realized, Ron, your sister's a really good flier, and I just thought she deserves something better than a Comet 180."

"Is she really?" Ron asked curiously. "I mean, I know she can ride a broom, but is she really good?"

"Yes," replied Harry, also addressing Hermione and Neville, who were listening interestedly to his and Ron's conversation. "She's been sneaking out at night to go flying since she was six. She even goes to the pitch to fly almost every Saturday since her first year."

"She does?" asked Ron. He sounded genuinely surprised about it.

"Yes," replied Harry while Hermione nodded beside him.

"Wait, you two know?"

"Ginny told me back in second year," said Hermione.

"She told me last Wednesday," Harry replied quietly, feeling just the slightest bit bothered that Hermione knew long before he had. Ron, on the other hand, didn't seem at all bothered that his best friends knew something about his own sister that he didn't. He was, however, apparently still bothered by the fact that Harry was going to loan the Nimbus to Ginny.

"So you're really just going to let her use this?" asked Ron, pointing at the Nimbus 2000. "Wasn't this being rented in your Quidditch Centre and all the profits go to you?"

Harry shrugged. "It's only generating a small profit anyway," he lied, not looking at Neville, who knew exactly how much profit his Nimbus 2000 generated (Harry had told him about it when he came to visit the Quidditch Centre that summer). "And most of those who rent brooms at the Centre can't fly squat," Harry continued. "The good ones always have their own brooms. My Nimbus deserves a better rider. And besides, it's only until Ginny gets a good broom."

"Well, she's going to be using this for a quite a while then," said Ron, "Mum and Dad won't be able to afford to buy her a good broom in the near future," he added a little uncomfortably.

"_I_ think it's very generous of you, Harry," said Hermione brightly. Harry knew she was steering them away from uncomfortable waters, but he could also see that she was sincere about what she was saying. "Ginny will be really _thrilled_ about this!"

* * *

"Queen to D5," Ron mumbled, staring intently at the chess board. His white Queen ambled gracefully to the designated square.

Harry checked his watch, it was twenty-five minutes past two o'clock. The days were getting shorter so he and Ginny had decided to go flying earlier than she usually did that year so that they'd have more daylight time. He only had five minutes left to spare and Ron and Hermione weren't even halfway through their chess game (Neville was at the greenhouses spending—or wasting, in Harry's opinion—his free time with magical plants).

"Can't you just leave it and continue later?" he said to Ron. "It's almost two-thirty."

Hermione glared at him, obviously annoyed that her concentration was disrupted. Harry rolled his eyes and looked impatiently at Ron.

"Harry, I'm winning," said Ron. Hermione scoffed. "Why don't you just go ahead? I'll catch up with you."

"You could have told me that earlier," Harry said wryly, annoyed. He had intended to go to the pitch earlier than Ginny so that she couldn't see him bringing the Nimbus. He wanted it to be a surprise, but that didn't seem possible now. He couldn't get from Gryffindor tower to the Quidditch pitch in less than five minutes. Ginny would probably be at the pitch already by the time he got there.

He stood up and picked the Firebolt and the Nimbus from the floor.

"I'll see you two later," he said to his best friends. "Catch up, Ron," Harry reminded, though he doubted that Ron would.

Harry walked out of the Gryffindor common room and headed for the Quidditch pitch. Just as he had expected, Ginny was already there when he arrived. She was sitting on the stands, Comet 180 on her lap, waiting for him. Harry held the Nimbus and the Firebolt with one hand, so as to make it less obvious that he was bringing two brooms with him.

"Hi," he called to Ginny. "Sorry I'm late. I was waiting for Ron, and then he decided to just catch up later."

"That's okay," she said casually. She stood up and came to meet him. "What's he doing?"

"Playing chess with Hermione," he replied, rolling his eyes.

She chuckled, amused. "Who's winning?" she asked.

"Hermione, I hope," he replied. He was still a little annoyed with Ron for making him late.

"Well, let's go," she said, grinning at him. She mounted her broom and looked at Harry, expecting him to do the same.

"Wait, I have something for you," he said. He transferred the Nimbus to his free hand and stretched it out to Ginny.

She looked at it, surprised. She apparently hadn't noticed that he had two brooms with him. Then she looked up at Harry, her expression of surprise turning to curiosity.

"Huh?"

"It's for you," he said again, wondering if she heard him the first time.

"Is that a Nimbus 2000?" she asked, curiosity turning into disbelief.

"Yeah, it's mine," said Harry, grinning now, thinking that she was playing daft. "I'm loaning it to you," he clarified.

"You're loaning—you'll let me—whoa…. No, I can't accept that Harry," she said firmly.

"What? Why not?" he asked, confused. Hermione said she would be thrilled. "You can't keep riding that Comet forever. It's too slow. And besides, no one else is using this. It'll just sit rotting at the Quidditch Centre if you don't."

"Are you serious?" she asked softly. She looked like she was preparing to believe him.

"Yes! Come on, would I have had my Dad send it all the way here if I weren't?"

Ginny let out a huge breath, and then she started chuckling softly. "You're kidding," she finally told him.

"Ginny! Just take it."

She grinned unsurely at him. She tentatively reached out her hand for the Nimbus but withdrew it again before she'd even touched the broom.

"Are you going to take it or are we just going to stand here all afternoon?"

She now looked like she didn't want to believe him.

"Look, take it or I'll change my mind," warned Harry. That did it for Ginny and she quickly grabbed the Nimbus from him.

He snorted. "You were going to take it after all… you had to act shy," he commented jokingly.

"I…thanks, Harry," said Ginny, looking up at him and smiling slightly, her brown eyes twinkling.

"No problem," he said, blinking twice.

Her grin widened, going from ear to ear. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she said ecstatically. She did a small jump on her toes, and then she lunged at him and gave him a tight, bone-breaking hug.

"I'm just going to return this," she told him as she pulled away, holding the Comet up. Harry just nodded, speechless, as she turned and walked towards the broom shed.

Harry stared after her, feeling slightly winded and a little confused. He hadn't seen that hug coming, not from Ginny. She had never hugged him before. It was unexpected, to say the least. It was kind of nice though. And she smelled good….

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7_  
_


	5. Quidditch and Everything After 5

The weather was disagreeable on the Saturday before the first Hogsmeade weekend. The sky was overcast, blanketing Hogwarts with a dull, gray color. Mild showers came and went during the morning, but the sun emerged from behind the clouds that afternoon, so Harry and Ginny decided to still go flying. They had only just taken off from their brooms, however, when the sky clapped with thunder and rain started falling heavily a second later. They managed to fly hurriedly towards the shelter of the Gryffindor locker room, but going to the castle was out of the question. It was practically a deluge outside.

"Argh!" Harry yelled in frustration after about ten minutes of sitting in the locker room doing nothing. "Stupid rain…. We should have listened to Hermione."

Ginny did not respond. She had taken off her shoes and was now busily trying to dry them off. She did not know the spell word though, so she tried different variations of the word 'dry' in all the languages she knew—which was only English. Harry looked dubiously at her. He wouldn't be surprised if her shoes started catching fire.

"Do you think it's okay to go out there?" he asked. It was only rain after all. There was no harm in getting a little wet.

"You go," said Ginny, "There's no way I'm going out there until this stops."

Harry sighed and sat, defeated, on the bench opposite her. He did not fancy getting wet by himself. He didn't like having nothing to do either and only a minute had passed before he started fidgeting restlessly on his seat. He started bouncing his feet up and down the floor, but Ginny looked disapprovingly at him so he stopped.

Ginny finally gave up on her rather impossible task after several minutes. She turned to Harry and reached into her pocket for a packet of Every Flavor Beans.

"Beans?" she offered.

Harry wasn't really hungry, but eating provided him with something to do, so he took a red bean which he knew to be cherry-flavored and popped it into his mouth. They sat in companionable silence for a while, taking care not to eat the suspicious looking beans. The only sound to be heard was the loud pitter-patter of rain and the not-so-distant rolls of thunder.

"This isn't going to stop anytime soon, is it?" commented Harry, breaking their silence. He looked forlornly out the window at the torrential downpour going on outside. "I wanted to try out that trick Wendell Parkin did this week. Did you see that?"

"The one on Thursday's _Prophet_?"

"Yeah…I guess I'll have to try that next Saturday…."

"It's Hogsmeade visit next week," she reminded him. "Well, I guess you can always stay…but I'm definitely going. It's my first Hogsmeade weekend."

"Oh yeah," said Harry, suddenly remembering that Ginny was a year below him. "Are you excited?"

"A little," she said casually. "But I've been there before, so not so much really."

"You've been there? When?" he asked curiously. "I thought you said it's going to be your first Hogsmeade weekend."

"Well, I went there one Friday last year, that's not really a weekend," she replied, sounding as though it was the most logical thing in the world. He stared at her, expecting further explanation. "Fred and George took me," she added.

Harry scoffed. "Why do I get the feeling you only use Fred and George's names to excuse your antics?" he accused her jokingly.

"Wha—I do not!" she said fervently. He raised one eyebrow at her. "Okay, maybe I do…sometimes…but it was really them who took me to Hogsmeade last year. I didn't go by myself."

"Alright, if you say so…."

"It's true!" she said loudly, throwing a couple of uneaten Every Flavor Beans at him.

"What? I said I believe you, didn't I?" he said, chuckling and catching the Beans expertly.

She looked suspiciously at him and threw another Bean his way. He caught it with the trained reflexes of a Seeker and burst out laughing at the hilarity of the situation. She joined him a second later.

It was several minutes before both of them regained their composure. Ginny stood up and headed for one of the windows. She stared outside, probably assessing if they could make a run for the castle without getting too wet. A few minutes later, she turned to face Harry, looking excited.

"I just remembered," she said breathlessly. "The First Task is on the Wednesday after Hogsmeade weekend…that's like ten days from now. What do you think it'll be?" she asked. "Charlie wrote me a few days ago, said he'd be coming here for the First Task...oh, do you think it involves dragons?"

"That would be cool," Harry said fervently. "Hagrid would love that."

"Yeah…I wonder what the Champions'll have to do."

"I hope Cedric Diggory gets top points—"

"Of course he will," she said surely. "He's _really_ good. He got like, eight Outstandings in his OWLs, did you hear?"

Harry shook his head, he hadn't heard.

"He'll definitely get top points," she said, more firmly this time.

"You seem so sure," he commented.

"Of course, he's from Hogwarts. Love your own," she added jokingly, grinning widely at him.

"Do you like him?" he blurted out. He didn't know what made him do it, but he had voiced the question before he could stop himself.

"What?" she asked, amusement and incredulity vying for first place on her face. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you always say how good he is," he began sheepishly, wishing now that he hadn't said anything. "And well, he's good-looking…I mean, even blokes can see that—"

"Harry, just because a girl thinks a guy is good and handsome doesn't mean she likes him," she said kindly. He could detect a small tone of mischief in her voice though and he couldn't help but wonder whether she was secretly laughing at him inside her head.

"Well, you said…love—"

"Love your own?" she said. She really was laughing now. He was starting to feel a little mortified. "Come on Harry, I said 'he's from Hogwarts, love your own'. It means I'll always be partial to him 'cause he's from our school."

"Oh," he said quietly. What she said actually made perfect sense. Even he, Harry, was biased towards Cedric, too. (Ron was biased towards Krum, but that was just him). He grinned sheepishly at Ginny.

"Merlin," she said, rolling her eyes at him, "you overanalyze more than Hermione sometimes…."

He tried to give a casual shrug, and looked anywhere but at Ginny, who was probably wearing a very wide, mischievous grin right now (he was too embarrassed to check and look at her). His eyes fell on the Quaffle at the foot of the lockers and he took it, eager for some distraction. He turned to the other side of the room and started kicking the Quaffle against the wall.

"Hey, you know football?" she asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"Er, a bit, yeah," he answered truthfully. He knew what football was, and he'd played a few games, but that was about the extent of it.

"How come?" asked Ginny, sitting on the bench directly beside where he was standing. "I mean, did your Dad teach you?"

"Nah, not Dad, he doesn't know football," he replied. Sure, his Dad knew how to kick a ball, but then again, who didn't? "Mum enrolled me to a Muggle school when I was seven and we played football there."

"Oh," she said, nodding her head in understanding. "Are you any good? Do you support a team? Wait, you enrolled in a Muggle school? What's it like?"

"Which one do you want me to answer first?" he asked, laughing.

"The Muggle school thing," she replied, eyes round with obvious wonder and curiosity.

"Well, I'd only been there for five months," he told her, "I don't really remember much... Except that I had a fight with this boy once—he lost and had a tantrum and started wrecking the teacher's table…. Mum grounded me for a whole week!"

"Is that why you only went for five months?" she asked, giving him a very amused expression. "Did you get expelled or something?"

"No...I turned all my playmates' skins green," he said reminiscently. "We were playing football and I suggested that we play Quidditch, and well of course, they didn't believe me. I got mad, and then, bam! Green…."

Ginny snorted. A moment later, she started laughing hysterically, doubling over and clutching her stomach. Harry started laughing too. It was quite a funny memory.

"They had to get a couple of Obliviators at the scene," he continued with a reminiscent grin. "Mum decided then that it wasn't safe for me to go to a Muggle school, which was perfectly fine with me because I then spent all my time at the Centre with Dad and Sirius. They were the ones who taught me the basic stuff, and Mum too, on weekends or when she had time off from St. Mungo's."

"I still can't believe you turned everyone green!" Ginny exclaimed breathlessly, still trying to control her laughter. "That was the reason Mum was so adamant against putting us in Muggle school. I mean, I can only imagine what Fred and George would do to everyone."

"Or you…you would probably turn everyone to goo," he said jokingly. He kicked the Quaffle towards the wall.

"Shut up," she said playfully. She stood up, stopped the Quaffle which had rolled towards her and kicked it towards him. "So, do you support a team?"

"Er, Liverpool?" he replied unsurely.

"Are they any good?"

"Well, they're better than me or my playmates," he said, prompting a chuckle from her. "I mean, I don't really know…I've only seen them play once. Actually, they're the only team I've seen play, and Chea-something, can't remember the name. One of my playmates—"

"Who you turned green—"

"—_yes_. Well, he invited me to watch a game at his house, and it was Liverpool against Chea-blah…and Liverpool won, so I support them," he finished with a winning grin, knowing full well that his logic didn't really make sense.

"Hmmm… let me guess," she began in a mock-thoughtful tone, "Liverpool wears red?"

"Actually, yeah—"

"They do?" she asked, her jaw dropping and her eyes widening in a mixture of shock and amusement. "I was just kidding!"

He chuckled as he kicked the Quaffle towards the wall. The ball rolled towards her and she stopped it with her foot.

"Damn..." she murmured, "Wanderers, Liverpool, Gryffindor…. You have a thing for red, don't you?" she added in an offhand joking manner, her red hair bouncing as she tried to juggle the scarlet ball with her feet.

Harry stared at her, his eyes following hers as she followed the progress of the Quaffle from her feet, to the air, and to the floor. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. He sat down on the bench and doubled over in mirth. For some reason, something had hit him as really funny, but he couldn't understand what it was.

"Yeah, yeah, I can't juggle," she said wryly. "I'm going to get better though, you'll see…."

"I wasn't laughing at that!" he defended, though he wasn't sure about it. Maybe her juggling skills—or lack thereof—was what hit him as really funny.

Ginny rolled her eyes disbelievingly at him and turned back to her 'juggling'. Her kicking was erratic and all she succeeded in doing was kick the ball for at most two consecutive times before it fell to the floor. Harry bit his lip, trying not to smirk. It _was_ quite funny. At least he could keep the ball off the ground for longer than five seconds. But then again, he was taught by boys who probably grew up sleeping with footballs as their pillows. Which reminded him—

"Hey, how come _you_ know football?" he asked her. Even though she couldn't juggle, it was quite obvious that she did know the game. Juggling was a pretty common football term, but for someone who had no Muggle relations at all, he had expected the concept to be quite foreign.

"Oh, er…" she began tentatively. She turned away from him in the pretense of kicking the Quaffle towards another wall, but not before he caught the pinkish tinge that was starting to spread throughout her cheeks. He looked intently at the back of her head, now more intrigued with her answer than he had been a second ago.

"Dean and I ran into each other a few times last year," she continued, her back still turned away from him. "He was practicing too. Football, I mean. He used to come here at around the same time I did, 'cause no one's practicing Quidditch. And well, he started teaching me some stuff, but only a little, we don't really meet up all the time. He prefers coming on mornings. He supports West Ham. He's really good…."

She turned to face him, her cheeks and neck redder than they'd been a minute ago, and gave him an embarrassed smile.

"And he's a mean juggler," she added, sounding as though it sealed the deal (whatever the deal was).

"You're blushing," he pointed out. Part of him wanted to tease her, part of him didn't, so he contented himself with giving her a very smug smile.

She gave a casual shrug, her cheeks regaining their normal color, but he could tell that she was still a little embarrassed.

"How come I don't see him coming around this year?" he expressed his wonder. "It would be a good time to practice, since no one's using the pitch for Quidditch training."

"Probably busy," she said nonchalantly. "He's got a girlfriend, you know…. He probably spends all of his free time with her."

"He does?" he asked in surprise. He was always late when it came to those kinds of things.

"Yeah, it's that fifth year Gryffindor. Miriam Morrell."

"Oh…." He looked at Ginny, wondering if she was alright with it. She obviously liked Dean. After all her blushing, only Ron would miss that fact. "Sorry…."

"Why are you sorry?" she asked, amused.

"Well, er, you know," he paused, wondering whether he had assumed wrongly again. "Er—"

"Oh, that…well, it doesn't matter. It's just a crush anyway," she said casually.

He looked at her, not believing that she didn't feel bad about it. After all, if it was him in her position, he definitely wouldn't be alright with it.

"I mean, it stings, just a _tiny_ bit," she said, showing with her thumb and index finger just how 'tiny' she meant it. "But other than that, it's fine, honestly. I mean, I don't really like him _that_ much, so it really doesn't matter."

He continued to look unbelievingly at her.

"You don't believe me?" she asked, snorting. "Well, believe whatever you want to believe—"

"Fine, fine, I believe you," he said, giving in. "Whatever you say…."

She grinned smugly at him.

"But you do like him?" he asked, wanting confirmation.

"A little, yes," she replied, smiling and nodding at him. "But like I said, not that much," she asserted.

He smiled back. That fact was oddly comforting.

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7_  
_


	6. The Yule Ball 1

**Part 2: The Yule Ball**

Hogsmeade weekend came without much event. Harry went to the village with Ron, Hermione, and Neville. Their first stop, as demanded by Hermione, was Scrivenshaft's, where they refilled their supplies of quills and parchments. They ran into Remus and Hagrid at the Three Broomsticks during lunchtime and, as usual, they got to talking about the upcoming First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville tried to get Remus and Hagrid to tell them something about the First Task, but they couldn't get a word out of them. At one point, Hagrid looked like he was going to give in, but Remus was firm and wouldn't let Hagrid say anything. Giving up, they instead talked about who was going to get top points among the Champions. Harry, Hermione, and Neville supported Cedric Diggory, but Ron, unsurprisingly, had his money on Viktor Krum. Of course, that caused Ron and Hermione to start bickering, prompting Harry and Neville to look wearily at each other, and Remus and Hagrid to smile amusedly at the arguing pair.

Later that afternoon, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville left Remus and Hagrid at the Three Broomsticks. They went around Hogsmeade again, going to the shops they hadn't visited that morning. They met Ginny and what looked like the rest of the third year Gryffindors at Honeydukes. The shop was too crowded and noisy, and they couldn't get a chance to talk, so she just waved in greeting at the four of them. Later on, she waved goodbye as she and the rest of the Gryffindors in her year headed out of the shop laden with what seemed like all of Honeydukes' candies.

All in all, it was just a normal Hogsmeade weekend. There was no thrill of going to the village for the first time, there were no new product lines from any of the shops, and they didn't learn anything from Remus and Hagrid. Ron and Hermione's bickering during lunchtime only emphasized the normalcy of that weekend. It was as though all the excitement was being saved up for something big.

That 'something big' was, of course, the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament, which was held on the last Wednesday of November. Harry woke up early that day, and he wasn't the only one. The Great Hall was already full of students by the time he, Ron, Hermione, and Neville got there for breakfast. Everybody was talking about the First Task, and nobody could wait for eleven o'clock to come. Ginny sat a few seats away from them, talking animatedly to her friends. From what he could hear of their conversation, Harry guessed that they were speculating about what the First Task was going to be. Fred and George were walking along the Gryffindor table again, betting against everyone who would take them on. Ron looked like he was too excited to say anything and both Hermione and Neville kept checking their watches, as though hoping that time would run faster.

Finally, at around ten-thirty, the students were ushered to an area around the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A huge tent had been erected and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville walked around it with the rest of the students. The sight that greeted them as they cleared the tent made Harry's jaw drop without him noticing.

Three dragons, red, blue, and green in color, were thrashing wildly about in their respective enclosures. Harry silently thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't the one who had to face them. He, Ron, Hermione, and Neville headed to the stands and took their seats. Ginny, who was sitting with the third year Gryffindors a few steps below them, turned around and gave a wave.

"Dragons," she said breathlessly. She looked meaningfully at Harry, and he knew she was telling him (silently) that she had been right. He grinned at her and gave a thumbs-up, indicating that, yes, he agreed that she was right.

Presently, the judges took their seats and Ludo Bagman took his place on the commentator's podium, announcing the start of the event. The crowd let out a deafening roar of excitement and Bagman had to wait for a couple of minutes before he could be heard over the cheers. He explained that the Champions had to get past their respective dragons to get a golden egg, which was placed in the dragon's nest along with the rest of its real eggs. His explanation was broken, often interrupted by roars from the crowd. The cheering, however, was nothing compared to what Cedric Diggory got when he appeared into view with a determined look on his face.

Cedric Diggory walked inside the enclosure, faced the Swedish Shortsnout, and everyone fell silent. The sound that escaped the crowd as he transfigured a rock into a dog to distract the dragon was, at best, minimal. Hermione commented something about that being an amazing bit of Transfiguration, but she was one of the very few people who were still talking. Everyone else was too engrossed with what was going on to say anything. Diggory negotiated his way around the enclosure, trying to walk towards the dragon's nest as stealthily as possible. Minutes later, with the dragon busily going after the transfigured dog, Diggory found an opening and ran to get the golden egg. The dragon changed its mind halfway through however, and several girls in the crowd started shrieking as it turned back and went for Diggory. Thankfully, he was able to escape with the golden egg. He got burned, but he made it out in one piece. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief beside Harry.

Everyone's reaction to Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour were the same as Cedric Diggory's, only with less cheering, since they were mostly Hogwarts students. The crowd would roar when the Champion emerged into view, fall silent as they tried to get the golden egg, and roar louder as they succeeded in the task. Fleur Delacour, who was facing the Common Welsh Green, used her Veela charms (Harry had overheard Madame Maxime telling Hagrid that she indeed had Veela blood) on the dragon and it fell asleep. It started snoring though, breathing flames, and her skirt caught fire. She put it out with a wave of her wand and she managed to get the golden egg. Viktor Krum used a curse ("Conjunctivitus," said Hermione) that caused his dragon, a Chinese Fireball, to thrash wildly about. The curse had temporarily blinded the dragon, and he was able to get past it and get the golden egg. He completed the task in under the shortest time among the Champions, but the judges took marks off him for causing the dragon to break half of its real eggs.

Viktor Krum still got top points though and everyone cheered appreciatively as Ludo Bagman announced the standings. Harry knew, however, that the crowd's cheers would have been louder if it had been Cedric Diggory who got top points. They were a Hogwarts crowd after all, and they supported Cedric Diggory. That didn't include Ron of course. He was jumping up and down beside Harry, looking very pleased and gushing praises (almost girlishly) about Krum. Fred and George were walking among the Gryffindors, grinning widely as they collected their winnings. They too seemed to have their money on Krum. They approached Ginny with identical smug grins on their faces, she tried to reason with them, but there seemed to be no way out. In the end, she took some coins from her pocket and handed them to the twins, who took them triumphantly. Harry couldn't help but chuckle at their exchange. Ginny must have heard because she turned to face him. He gave her a very smug grin, and she stuck out her tongue at him before turning back to her friends. Unable to help himself, Harry burst out laughing, prompting Ron, Hermione, Neville, and the other students sitting near them to stare at him with astonished expressions on their faces.

* * *

The last days of November flew by very quickly, as though making up for those days preceding the First Task when time ran so slowly. One moment, the First Task had just ended, the next, everyone was turning their calendars to December and rainy autumn was giving way to snowy winter. Things started going back to normal, or as normal as it could possibly be in Hogwarts that year. Harry and Ginny resumed their flying sessions on Saturdays (if the weather permitted it) and everyone finally stopped talking about the First Task.

During the second week of December, however, McGonagall announced something that gave everyone something to talk about for the weeks to come. A Yule Ball was to be held at Hogwarts on Christmas day, she had said, and all fourth year students and older were "strongly encouraged" to participate. There would be dancing, of course, and they would need to get a date.

Harry had never truly realized how many girls there were in Hogwarts before the Yule Ball was announced. Now, it seemed that every room, every corner, every hallway in Hogwarts was packed with them. By Friday, their numbers seemed to have doubled—tripled even. It didn't help that everywhere he looked, he could see Cho, surrounded by her group of giggling friends. He really wanted to ask her as his date, but he couldn't get the guts to do it.

By Saturday, Dean and Seamus announced that they had already gotten dates for the ball (Dean, his fifth year girlfriend, and Seamus, Lavender Brown), increasing the pressure on Harry, Ron, and Neville to get dates already. Harry was starting to get a little desperate that he almost considered owling his Dad and Sirius for advice. He thought better of it though. He knew that if he asked just one of the grown-ups, everyone else would put their two cents in.

Even though he refrained from asking the adults, three letters of advice (all of them unsolicited) still arrived for him on Sunday morning during breakfast, one each from his Mum, his Dad, and Sirius. He read his father's letter first.

_Dear Harry,_

_I heard that they've already announced the Yule Ball, so I thought I'd give you some words of advice. Now, I know you're quite capable of getting a date on your own, but I'm sure a couple of tricks from your old man would greatly increase your chances._

Harry could practically hear his Dad's very smug "eh?" at the end of the sentence.

_I'm sure you already know who to take to the ball, so the first thing you have to do is find out what you can about her. Her likes, her dislikes, etc… Girls like it when you know stuff about them that they didn't think you knew. You'll never know, maybe you can surprise her into saying yes (not that she wouldn't say yes otherwise, of course)._

Harry paused to think of what he knew about Cho. So far, he'd only got 'Ravenclaw Seeker', 'definitely a better flier than Slytherin's', and 'got her Asian background from her father'. He frowned at his Dad's advice, wondering if he really had to find out things about her. It seemed quite a hassle.

_Secondly, mess your hair up. Girls love messy locks. It makes us look sexy._

_Well, that's all. I'm sure you can figure the rest out on your own. And if you ever need more advice, put Hedwig to work and owl me._

When hell freezes over_,_ Harry thought sarcastically.

_Oh, and don't tell your Mum about my second advice. She hates it, for some reason (the advice, not the hair)._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Harry put his Dad's letter on the table beside his plate and proceeded to open the one from Sirius.

_Harry,_

_So, Hogwarts is holding a ball this Christmas, huh? You must be excited._

No, Harry thought firmly.

_How many girls do you plan to take to the ball?_

What?

_I'm just kidding. I know you only plan on taking one. You're a lot like your Dad in that respect, very 'un-ambitious', for lack of better term._

Harry snorted. He knew Sirius was just joking.

_I'm sure he's tried to give you advice on how to get a date. Well, I don't know what he told you, but I'll remind you that it took him four (FOUR!) years to finally get your Mum to go out with him. While I, on the other hand, had (and still have) girls going after me left, right, and center. It's quite obvious whose advice to take. Mine, of course._

Impeccable logic, Harry thought sarcastically.

_Now, the first thing you have to do is to make your intentions clear. When you see the girl, smile at her in a way that makes her know that she just made your day by just simply 'gracing you with her presence'._

Harry frowned. He wasn't entirely sure what Sirius meant.

_Let her catch you staring at her. And when she does catch you, smile at her, stare just a tad longer. It lets her know that you're interested in her. It flatters her, and most importantly, it catches her attention. Once you have her attention, that is when you ask, and chances are she'll agree to going with you._

_That's just the basic, of course. But it still works. I could tell you more, but then, where's the fun in that? If you still feel lost though, don't hesitate to write me._

—_Sirius_

Harry stared at Sirius' letter, not quite sure whether his godfather had been joking or not. What did he mean by 'making his intentions clear'. Wouldn't asking a girl to the ball be 'making his intentions clear' already? Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts and put Sirius' very confusing letter on the table. He opened his Mum's letter, hoping for some bit of sanity.

_Dear Harry,_

_I know your Dad and Sirius wrote you letters giving you 'advice' on how to get a date for the Yule Ball. I'm sure you already know this, but you shouldn't take any of what they're saying too seriously. My advice to you is to simply approach the girl you like and ask her, sincerely, to go to the ball with you. Be sincere and straightforward. Girls appreciate that._

Harry paused to think. His Mum's advice definitely made more sense than Sirius', and a lot less hassle than his Dad's.

_Incidentally, do you already have a particular girl in mind? What is her name? Do I know her?_

_Love,_

_Mum_

Harry frowned at his Mum's letter. _She just couldn't help it,_ he thought. Ever since summer, his Mum (and his Dad too) had been asking him whether he fancied someone at Hogwarts. He supposed it was just one of those annoying things about parents (and adults in general). He was particularly unlucky because he had no siblings and his godfather had no children of his own. He was the only one they could bug and bother, as proven by their unasked for letters.

Harry folded his Mum's letter and made to put it with his Dad's and Sirius' letters, but when he looked down at his table, he found that the letters weren't there anymore. He looked around and saw that Ron, Hermione, and Neville had started reading his letters. Neville was looking at the letters quite seriously, but Ron and Hermione were wearing amused grins on their faces. Harry groaned in frustration, sometimes his best friends really didn't know anything about privacy.

"Hey, that's mine," he said loudly, grabbing the letters away from his friends.

"They were right there," defended Ron, pointing to his plate.

Neville noticed that Harry was holding a third letter. "Who's that from?" he asked.

"Nobody," Harry answered a little too quickly. "It's just, er…a note from this store that I ordered something from. They're out of stock."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and Ron grabbed his Mum's letter from his hands. Hermione and Neville read the whole letter, but Ron's eyes went directly to the signature.

"I do agree with your Mum, Harry," said Hermione.

Her comment, however, was drowned out by Ron's very smug question.

"You got one from your _Mum_?" he asked loudly, smirking at Harry from ear to ear.

Harry hung his head. He _hated_ being an only child.

Later that morning, Hermione went to the library to do "some research" on house-elves. Hermione had always found reasons to spend her time in the library even when she had ran out of homework to do. She always had some project or another to work on. Ron had called them her "little obsessions". First year, it was anything and everything she could find out about the magical world. By the end of that year, Hermione had discovered several things about the magical world that Harry, Ron, and Neville hadn't known before. On second year, Hermione spent all her time in the library doing further research on their Defense professor's books. It had been her obsessive research that exposed Gilderoy Lockhart as a fraud, though it took her a month to accept it because of her 'little' infatuation (which annoyed the hell out of Ron). Hermione took all the offered subjects during third year, so she had been pretty busy with school work. However, that didn't stop her from researching old trial cases when the Malfoys sued Buckbeak for injuring Draco (though that had been Draco's own fault). With the help of Hermione's research and Harry's parents' influence, they were able to save Buckbeak from inevitable death. Now, in their fourth year, Hermione was obsessing about house-elves. She was of the opinion that house-elves shouldn't work without wages, not to mention other benefits, and had started a group called the 'Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare' (Ron and Hermione's arguments on how the group's acronym was pronounced became a permanent fixture for a few weeks).

Though they had begrudgingly agreed to be members of SPEW, Harry, Ron, and Neville weren't particularly interested in the cause and had instead gone back to Gryffindor Tower to relax.

"What's Hermione doing in the library?" Neville asked as they entered the Gryffindor common room and took the unoccupied seats under the Gryffindor banner.

_Probably hoping that she'd get asked to the Ball by hiding there_, Harry thought sarcastically.

"We don't have some homework that I don't know about, do we?" Neville continued worriedly.

"Nah, you know Hermione, Nev, she just loves reading stuff," said Ron fondly.

"Have either of you asked anyone to the Ball yet?" asked Harry.

At the mention of the word 'Ball', Ron's and Neville's faces fell and Harry felt a little guilty for bringing the topic up. He just wanted every input he could get though, and who knew, maybe his friends had some useful insight.

Ron gave him a withering look. "You asked us about that just this morning," he told Harry wryly. "The answer is still 'no'."

"We have to ask someone sooner or later," reasoned Harry.

"I know," said Neville, sighing sadly.

"I wish I was a girl!" Ron declared loudly, making Harry, Neville, and a group of fifth year girls near them look at him with expressions of alarm and worry. "So that I wouldn't have to be the one to ask for a date to the Ball!" he explained just as loudly, looking pointedly at the fifth year girls.

"Yeah, you'd go with Viktor Krum," joked Harry.

"That, I would," said Ron confidently, crossing his arms and putting his feet up the table.

The fifth year girls, who were still listening in on them, gave identical looks of affront then went back to talking in whispers and casting glances at Ron, prompting the three boys to explode into laughter.

"That reminds me," said Ron when he'd sobered up, "we should go to the library. Krum's been hanging out there, and I want to ask for his autograph," he added, loudly and clearly so that the fifth year girls could hear. This made Harry and Neville start laughing again.

"Seriously though," continued Ron, indeed looking quite serious. "We should get his autograph…I mean, can you imagine the look on Fred and George's faces when we get it? And who knows, maybe we can bribe a girl to go to the Ball with us for Krum's autograph," he added half-jokingly.

"As inviting as that sounds," Harry began sarcastically, "I can't go with you. I'm dropping by Professor Lupin's office later. He's gonna teach me how to fix my Sneakoscope."

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7_  
_


	7. The Yule Ball 2

The door to Remus' office was slightly ajar. Harry knocked twice to indicate his presence, and then entered the room without waiting for a reply. Remus was busily fussing over a cage, which contained a particularly ugly elfish creature called an Erkling. Harry figured it was for the third years' next Defense lesson. They had taken up Erklings around Christmas during his third year too.

"Hello, Harry," Remus greeted as he straightened up, smiling calmly at Harry.

Harry returned the greeting and the smile.

"You're not busy are you?" asked Harry. "I can just come back later."

"No, I've just finished," said Remus. "Come, sit down. Where's your Sneakoscope?"

Harry sat on the only remaining seat, which was directly opposite the Erkling's cage, and put his Pocket Sneakoscope on Remus' table. The Sneakoscope lay limply on the table. It had somehow lost its ability to balance on its point. Remus asked Harry what happened to the Sneakoscope, trying to diagnose its problem. Once he had figured out what was wrong with it, he told Harry the correct spell to fix it. It was one of those spells that worked better when more than one person performed it, so they did it together, with Remus guiding Harry on what to do. A few minutes later, the Sneakoscope was standing on its tip, good as new. Harry grinned triumphantly at Remus.

"Do they teach you this at Auror training, Professor?" asked Harry.

Before Remus came to teach at Hogwarts, he had worked as an Auror for the Ministry. About two years ago, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, had found out that he was a werewolf and he was convinced by one of his advisors to sack Remus. The Head of the Auror Department had tried to stop it, but in the end, he was given no say on the matter. When Dumbledore heard what had happened, he immediately asked Remus to teach at Hogwarts, and, luckily for everyone at Hogwarts, Remus took the position.

"They cover it, but we're not really required to learn it," replied Remus. "I learned it because I thought that it might come in useful someday."

"Well, it came in useful today," Harry said gratefully.

The Erkling in the cage had been 'following' their conversation, eyeing whoever was speaking. It must have gotten bored because it suddenly let out a high-pitched cackle. Harry knew for a fact that the cackle was particularly entrancing to children, but it had little effect on him.

"Silencio," muttered Remus, pointing his wand at the Erkling. It was still opening and closing its mouth, but no sound came out. "At your age it must still sound okay, but it gets irritating once you grow older…. As I'm sure you remembered," added Remus, grinning at Harry.

Harry nodded; Remus had told them that in third year. "I wonder how Ginny would react to this," he said, gesturing at the Erkling, which was now staring angrily at him.

"Ginny Weasley?"

"Yeah," replied Harry. "I mean, she likes gnomes, says they're funny…and this thing looks a bit like a gnome, so maybe she'd like it. Then again, maybe it's just gnomes. She once had a pet gnome when she was little."

"Did she?" asked Remus, sounding both surprised and amused. "Well, I guess I learn something new about my students every day."

"Yeah…she's a little insane," continued Harry, grinning. "And she always says everyone's a little insane…probably right too."

Remus smiled at Harry, he looked rather amused. There was also something else in his expression, but Harry couldn't place what it was.

"So," began Remus, "who're you taking to the Yule Ball?"

Harry narrowed his face jokingly at Remus. "Were you the one who told my parents and Sirius that they'd already announced the ball?" he asked.

"No, of course not," Remus said calmly. "You know your parents—and Sirius—they have their ways. Have they given you 'advice' already?"

"Yeah, their owls came this morning," Harry replied darkly. "During breakfast, with everyone around…."

"What'd they say?" Remus asked, chuckling.

"Well, Dad said to find out everything I can about whoever it is that I want to ask, and also, mess my hair up. Mum just said to be sincere. And Sirius said to smile and stare…I mean, what does that even mean? I'd look like a dolt!"

Remus burst out laughing. It took him several minutes to regain his composure.

"Sirius used to do that all the time when we were in Hogwarts. He'd smile and stare intently at a girl, and the next thing you know, he's taking her to Hogsmeade."

"Well, I'm not Sirius, I can't do that."

"I remember our first school dance," Remus said reminiscently. "We were in fifth year then. Your Dad wanted to ask your Mum, but his nerves kept getting to him—"

"Really? Mum said that he was always so confident."

"He never let her see how nervous he was. He'd come up to her all sure of himself, and maybe that was why she kept thinking that he wasn't sincere. But Sirius and I knew better. Asking her to the Ball was no different for James. We had to keep reassuring him that she'd say yes."

"Did she?"

"No…you know the story Harry, your Mum didn't agree to any date with your Dad until seventh year. She turned him down when he asked her to the ball, so he went stag instead, pun not intended."

Harry chuckled at Remus' joke. "Did no one else agree to go with him?" he asked, worrying that no one will agree to go to the Ball with him either.

"Nah, there were quite a number of girls who'd have given anything to date him," replied Remus, "but he said he'd rather go by himself than go with anyone who wasn't Lily."

"That's just crazy," said Harry, shaking his head. Sure, he thought that it was great that his Dad really loved his Mum, but he, Harry, definitely wouldn't go as far as his Dad did. He liked Cho and he really wanted to go to the Ball with her, but if she turned him down, he'd definitely go and ask someone else.

"That's what Sirius said too," said Remus, clearly amused with Harry's reaction. "He went with three girls—"

"_Three_ girls?" Harry asked disbelievingly. "And they didn't mind?"

"Nope. They were probably just happy that they were going with him. They were the prettiest girls in Hogwarts too, and they were _all_ older than him."

"Man…how does he even do that?" said Harry, his tone half-admiring and half-envious.

"I keep asking the same thing myself," said Remus.

"Who'd you go with, Professor?" Harry asked curiously.

"Alice Longbottom, though she wasn't Longbottom at the time," replied Remus.

"Neville's Mum?" asked Harry, surprised. He never knew that Remus and Mrs. Longbottom had something between them when they were in Hogwarts. It was a little disturbing.

"Yes. I only asked her as a friend though," continued Remus. "I couldn't get the guts to ask the girl I liked; she was a year older than me…. You may think I took the coward's way out, but in the end, I had more fun than James and Sirius. James, well, we all knew he'd never have fun that night. We wondered why he even bothered to come. And Sirius, the three girls he took with him kept arguing and he spent the night as a peacemaker…it was really funny, James even laughed for a while. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the night with Alice. It wasn't painful, and it wasn't awkward, we were just enjoying the Ball together…as friends."

"Did you ever wish that you had the guts to ask the girl you liked to the ball?"

"At the time I did, of course," conceded Remus. "I had fancied her, after all."

* * *

On Monday, Harry started feeling like the world was teasing him. Before the ball, he'd often look around the hallways, hoping for even a glimpse of Cho, but he'd be lucky to be able to see her more than three times a week. Now, it seemed that she was everywhere, and it didn't help that Hermione kept looking pointedly at him whenever she was around. To make matters worse, some girls had started asking _him_ out (much to Ron and Neville's amusement), and he was running out of ways to turn them down. It all seemed like a very elaborate prank at his expense.

By Tuesday, he thought that maybe he'd just do what Remus did. He really wanted to go with Cho, but she was always surrounded by a group of girls and it all suddenly seemed a much bigger hassle than it should be. Asking a friend to the Ball was really much easier.

That evening, while his classmates were in the library doing their Potions homework, he waited for Ginny in the common room. He was going to ask her to the Ball, of course. Once he'd decided he'd rather ask a friend than go through the embarrassment of asking Cho to the ball, he automatically chose to ask Ginny. The choice had been so obvious that he didn't even think of it. He knew he was going to have a lot of fun with her.

Presently, Ginny came through the portrait hole with her friends Anne, Sarah, and Irvine. Harry waited for them to settle on a spot near the fire before he stood up and approached them. They all said their various greetings as he came near.

"Ginny, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"Sure, what is it?" she asked, looking expectantly up at him.

"Er…in private," he said, looking around at the other four.

Ginny gave him a questioning look, but she stood up and led him to one part of the common near the windows. She turned to face him.

"So?"

"Er…"

Harry looked around at Ginny's friends. They had already turned back to their conversation. He looked back at Ginny, who was staring curiously at him. He suddenly felt a little nervous again. He wished he had thought of what he was going to say. Deciding to just go for it, he took a deep breath.

"Listen," he began, "I was wondering…" he paused, changing his line of questioning. "I mean, has, er…has someone asked you to the ball?" he asked instead. He really wouldn't be surprised if someone already had.

Ginny shook her head. "No," she replied. She looked inquiringly at him, "Why?"

"Do you—do you, er…" Harry paused again, taking a deep breath. "Would you like to go with me? To the ball, I mean—just as friends," he added quickly.

Ginny stared at him for about a minute. Harry flattened his hair.

"Shouldn't you go ask Cho first?" she said finally.

"I—what?" he asked, confused. He really thought she would have said yes by now. She wouldn't be able to go the Yule Ball otherwise, after all. "How—how'd you know I haven't asked her?" he asked. It wasn't the most urgent question, but it was the only one he could think of at the moment.

Ginny grinned. "I have my ways," she replied airily.

Harry raised his eyebrows disbelievingly at her.

"Hermione told me," she said nonchalantly.

"Ooo-kay…" he began, "I'll ignore the fact that you were talking about me behind my back. So will you _please_ go to the ball with me?"

"Sorry, I can't go with you."

"Why?" he asked. "You just said that no one else has asked you yet."

"Well, no—"

"So it's not that you _can't_ go with me, it's that you _won't_ go with me…."

Ginny nodded. Harry stared at her, dumbstruck. He really thought this would be easier.

"It's just as friends!" he said again, his tone half-pleading, half-protesting.

"I know, okay," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "Look, it's not that I don't want to go to the Ball with you. I just thought that maybe you should go ask her first—Cho, I mean. You don't want to just give up without trying, do you? You'll just regret it later…and I definitely don't want to go with someone who will keep regretting every minute of the Ball, wishing that he had asked the girl he fancied first…."

Harry looked at Ginny, remembering what Remus said about wishing that he had asked the girl _he_ fancied. He sighed loudly, Ginny was probably right. He couldn't ask Cho though. He told Ginny that.

"Why not?" she asked incredulously. "It's easy."

"Why, have you asked a girl out before?" he asked pointedly.

"Fortunately for all the non-Weasley boys in the world, no," she said jokingly.

Harry chuckled, rolling his eyes at Ginny, but he knew there was truth to what she said. Hogwarts' male population would probably mourn for a week if Ginny suddenly 'played for the other team'. Harry mentally shook himself, trying not to think of _that_.

"Harry, ask her out," she said sincerely. "Hermione told me you got asked out by _four_ girls already—"

"I don't see how that is relevant."

"If the girls can ask you, then you can ask a girl," she pointed out. "Come on, I'll help you…it'll be fun," she added, grinning mischievously at him.

* * *

"Ow!" Harry protested quietly as Ginny poked him in the ribs.

They were standing in the hallway, and Ginny was 'encouraging' Harry to go up to Cho and ask her to the Ball. Ginny's brand of encouragement wasn't exactly pain-free though. She had poked him, hard, in the ribs for about five times already. Not that he could blame her, he'd been peering around the corner at Cho, but he hadn't made any moves to approach her. She was, _again_, surrounded by her friends.

"When you said this would be fun, you only meant for yourself, didn't you?" Harry accused Ginny.

"Of course," she said offhandedly. "Now go ask her," she added, poking him again.

"Ow!"

"What?" she asked innocently.

He gave her a disgruntled look, and then turned to peer around the corner again. She pushed him, and he stumbled forward, in plain view of Cho and her friends. Thankfully, they weren't looking his way so he hurriedly stepped back, hiding behind the wall with Ginny, who was laughing silently.

"Ginny!"

"Harry!"

"She could've seen me!"

"Isn't that the point? Look," she said, crossing her arms and sighing audibly, "if you're not gonna ask her, I will."

"Alright, alright...I'll go now," he said.

He took a deep, calming breath, and then exhaled slowly. He peered around the corner again. Nothing had changed. Cho was still surrounded by her friends. He couldn't do it. He was just about to turn back to Ginny when she too peered around the corner, took a deep breath, and—

"Cho!" she yelled loudly, then stepped nimbly back behind the wall.

Harry wasn't so quick, however. Cho and her friends had already looked his way. He cringed, blood started rising up his cheeks. Ginny, hidden behind the wall, pushed him forward again. This time, he didn't have a choice. He stepped away from the wall and started to walk towards Cho, feeling like his legs had turned to jelly. Cho had walked towards him too, her friends right behind her.

"Er…hi Cho," he began, wondering how stupid he sounded. The girls behind her started giggling, but Cho didn't. This gave him a bit of heart. "I'm Harry…" he trailed off awkwardly, and then because he realized that Cho might not know him, he added, "Potter."

"Yeah, I know," she said, smiling pleasantly at him. She looked so pretty. And she knew him. At this thought, Harry went, if possible, even redder.

"Er," he said.

He couldn't ask her. He couldn't. But he had to. Cho stood there looking puzzled (and very pretty), watching him. The words came out before Harry had quite got his tongue around them.

"Wangoballwime?"

"Sorry?" said Cho.

"D'you—d'you want to go to the ball with me?" asked Harry. He hated himself. _'Wangoballwime'_? What was he, a _fish_?

"Oh!" said Cho, and she went red too. "Oh Harry, I'm really sorry," and she truly looked it. "I've already said I'll go with someone else."

"Oh," Harry said quietly. He felt his insides disappear. Blood started rushing away from his head, and he suddenly felt a little dizzy.

"Oh okay," he said, "no problem."

"I'm really sorry," she said again.

"That's okay," said Harry.

They stood there looking at each other, Harry feeling like he was about to collapse.

"Well," began Cho.

"Yeah," said Harry.

"Well, bye," she said, still a little red. She walked back to where her friends were standing.

Harry called after her, before he could stop himself.

"Who're you going with?"

"Oh—Cedric," she answered. "Cedric Diggory."

"Oh…right," said Harry. He stared after Cho as she and her friends walked away and rounded the corner at the far end of the hallway, then he walked back towards the wall where Ginny was hiding.

He turned the corner and saw Ginny leaning against the wall, shaking with silent laughter. He looked irritably at her, but she seemed to have missed his expression.

"Wangoballwime?" she asked teasingly. "That's really—that's nice."

Harry looked stonily at her, not sharing her mirth.

"How'd it go? She said yes?" asked Ginny.

Harry frowned at her. She obviously hadn't heard the rest of his conversation with Cho because she had been too busy laughing at him.

"No, she's going with Cedric Diggory," he said irritably. _The bloody Hogwarts Champion_, he added in his head.

"Oh…sorry," said Ginny, the grin dying on her face.

She really did look sorry, so he decided to forgive her for laughing at him.

"Yeah," he said, nodding.

They stood in silence for a while until Ginny chuckled and started laughing again. She didn't laugh as hard as she did the last time, but it was still irritating.

"What?" he asked her suspiciously.

"Sorry," said Ginny. "I can't help it—wangoballwime—that's, that's really—sorry," she said through bursts of laughter.

She looked up at him, grinning. He looked back in annoyance.

"Come on, you have to admit it's funny," she reasoned, still grinning.

He was starting to get really mad.

"It's not funny," he told her angrily. "I can't believe this! I can't believe that you're laughing at this. I humiliate myself in front of Cho and you just laugh at me? You probably knew this was going to happen, didn't you? You knew she's already going with Cedric!" he accused.

"You're being really dramatic about all this," said Ginny. He detected a bit of coldness in her voice, and his anger started fading away. "I mean, seriously Harry, do you really think I'd do that?"

"No," he admitted. But he still frowned at her, trying to hold on to what little anger he had left. He had every right to be mad at her, after all.

"Come on, I was wrong to laugh. I'm sorry, okay?" she said sincerely.

Harry looked at her, still frowning, then looked away. He wanted to stay mad at her, and that wasn't possible when he could see her starting to grin mischievously at him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her grin even wider. She reached out her hand and tried to straighten the frown that he forced on his face. He swatted her hand away.

"Did you just hit me?" she asked dangerously.

"Well, maybe I did," he said, sounding braver than he felt.

She narrowed her eyes at him and punched him on the arm, hard.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

He hadn't given her any reason to hit him, so he retaliated. He hit her on her arm, but very lightly. A mosquito bite would have been more painful. She hit him again, harder this time. Harry retaliated, but he still made sure that she didn't really get hurt. It was a battle he was obviously going to lose. Each time he retaliated, she would hit him again, harder every time.

"Okay, okay, stop!" he yelled. One of them had to give up; otherwise, he'd end up in the infirmary. "This isn't fair. You know I'd never hit you for real!"

"You started it," she argued, hitting him again.

"Okay! Truce!" he said, stepping away from her and massaging his arm. "You hit like a guy," he complained.

"You, on the other hand, are such a girl," she told him.

He tried to frown, but she was already grinning at him. It was hard to frown at Ginny when she was grinning like that, so he gave in and returned her smile instead.

"I asked Cho out," he told her proudly. The feeling was akin to having a huge thorn being pulled out from his body.

"Yes, you did," said Ginny. "I'm sorry for laughing," she added sincerely.

"Nah…it was probably funny."

"It was," she confirmed.

"So does this mean you're going with me now?" he asked her.

"Yeah."

"Good. Don't want to have to go through _that_ again."

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7 and NancyDrewGirl_  
_


	8. The Yule Ball 3

A loud crash sounded behind Harry. Neville was putting on his dress robe and he had accidentally knocked over the things on his table. Neville grinned sheepishly at the room in general, and then bent down to pick his things up. No good-natured teasing came from the other boys in the dormitory, they were all too nervous to say anything at the moment. Seamus had been struggling with his tie for about ten minutes now, Dean couldn't decide which pair of socks to use (_as if anyone would see them_, Harry thought wryly), and Ron was still trying to remove all traces of lace from his maroon dress robe. For his part, Harry kept flattening his hair and looking at his reflection in the mirror, from which he was currently surveying the dormitory.

A few minutes later, he decided that his hair was about as flat as it could get, and he turned to face his dorm-mates.

"Let's go, Ron, Nev," called Harry.

Ron looked miserably at his dress robe, decided to give up on it, and walked with Harry and Neville out of their dormitory. They were shortly followed by Dean and Seamus. The five boys waited for their dates in the common room, seating themselves in a group of chairs under the Gryffindor banner, directly facing the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

Harry leaned on the back of the chair that Dean was sitting on since there were no other seats available in that group. He looked at his dorm-mates and suddenly saw how nervous they really were. Neville and Seamus looked like they were about to vomit, Dean was fidgeting on his seat, and Ron…. Well, Ron was just staring blankly at the rug. Harry wondered what he was thinking.

Harry was going with Ginny, so he definitely wasn't as nervous as the other four, but he was still feeling a little jittery. He wished that she would come down already. About ten minutes later, she did.

Ginny came out from the girls' dormitories and walked gracefully down the stairs. She was wearing a green, lightly patterned dress. Her long, red hair, which was usually windswept, fell smoothly down her back. It somehow glittered golden under the common room light.

Harry's eyes widened. He'd always known from the moment he met her that Ginny was pretty. But he never really gave much thought to it, it was just one of those things that he accepted as is, like her fiery hair or her freckles. Now, with Ginny standing at the top of the stairs, it suddenly struck him how pretty she _really_ was. It was almost unnerving.

Someone whistled quietly near Harry. "Wow…" they murmured appreciatively.

Harry let go of the breath he didn't know he was holding and closed his slightly open mouth. He turned to the person who just talked and was about to say his agreement when he realized that it was Dean.

"What?" Harry asked tonelessly.

"She looks great!" Dean said breathlessly.

Harry did not like his excitement. "I am quite aware of that," he said with the slightest hint of irritation.

"I'm just saying," said Dean, holding up his hands.

Harry ignored Dean and walked towards Ginny, waiting for her to descend to the bottom of the stairs.

"You look great," he told her honestly.

She grinned at him as she stepped on the common room floor.

"Thank you," she said, doing a mock-curtsey.

The clock on the dressing table read 7:29. Ginny stared at it as the second hand began its course around the clock's face. For every tick that sounded, her heart beat faster, louder. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she was very nervous, more nervous than she should be. It was her first time wearing a ball gown, she wasn't used to wearing heels so she might trip, and it was her first ever school dance, but none of those seemed really enough reason for her to be so _bloody_ nervous. Her heart was beating so loudly, it seemed to be pulsing right next to her ear.

The second hand reached the 12 o'clock position—7:30. Ginny stood up, took a deep breath, cleared her throat to make sure that she could hear her surroundings over her loudly beating heart, and headed for the common room.

Midway down the stairs, she saw him, standing across the room. Harry was talking to his friends, and then, as though in slow motion, he turned to face her and for a fraction of a second, her heart stopped beating entirely. She took him in, his messy hair, his self-conscious bearing, his slightly nervous smile. And oh, his eyes, his emerald green eyes, twinkling behind those glasses. It struck her how handsome he was and she was suddenly overcome with this strange feeling. It was almost like drowning.

A second passed. Ginny brushed the feeling away and continued to walk down the stairs. Harry walked towards her and waited at the bottom.

"You look great," he said.

She grinned, pleased with his compliment.

"Thank you," she said, curtseying playfully. "You look quite handsome yourself," she added, lightly but honestly.

Harry grinned at her and awkwardly flattened his hair. He was never able to handle compliments about his appearance well. It was kind of cute.

Ginny followed Harry to the group of chairs under the Gryffindor banner, where Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus were sitting. Ron was going with Padma Patil, so they had to wait for Parvati so that she could introduce them properly.

"Here Ginny, you can take my seat," offered Dean, practically jumping from his chair and smiling brightly at her.

"Thanks," she said, confidently returning his smile.

Ginny settled herself on the chair and smiled self-consciously at the Gryffindor boys. They were all beaming at her. Except, of course, her brother.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked urgently.

* * *

Professor McGonagall's voice sounded over the chatter of the students in the Entrance Hall. "Champions over here please!" she called.

The three Champions and their dates walked forward, the crowd parting to let them through, and followed McGonagall to one side of the doors. Everyone's eyes were on them. Harry looked at Cho. Her silky black hair fell smoothly past her shoulders and down the back of her deep red dress. She stood confidently, one hand holding Cedric's. Her pretty smile, which used to make Harry so happy when he saw it, now sent pangs of regret and disappointment through him. She looked stunning; he wished for a moment that it were his hand she was holding right now.

"She's beautiful," Ginny whispered admiringly beside him.

"Yeah," he said unhappily.

He tore his gaze away from Cho and looked at Ginny. She hadn't meant Cho. He followed her gaze, towards the girl who was standing next to Viktor Krum. Harry's jaw dropped.

"_Hermione_?" he said in a shocked voice.

He turned back to Ginny, mouth still open. She nodded knowingly at him. He turned to Ron, intending to point Hermione out to him, but Ron was already staring at her. He was frowning so hard his eyebrows had formed one continuous line. Whether he was hurt or angry, Harry couldn't tell.

Presently, the door to the Great Hall opened, and McGonagall ushered them in. The Champions were to enter the Great Hall in procession when the rest of the students had sat down. Harry and Ginny smiled at Hermione as they went past the Champions. Harry glanced at Cho for the briefest of moments before entering the Great Hall.

He and Ginny chose a table near the entrance at the right side of the Hall. They shared it with Ron and Padma, Neville and Parvati, Seamus and Lavender, and Dean and his fifth year girlfriend. After a few minutes, the Champions and their dates entered the Great Hall to the sound of applause. They reached the top table moments later and everyone else returned to their own tables.

_Seamus and Lavender_, Ginny thought wryly, _are meant for each other_. They were sitting across from her and Harry with their lips glued together, the food on their plates forgotten. Ginny was still eating, and it was rather scandalizing. She tried teasing them in the hopes of making them stop or at least go somewhere else, but somehow, that only made them more enthusiastic. Dean was sitting next to them, but he and his date were too busy talking to, and sometimes feeding, each other to notice; Parvati and Padma were too busy checking out the Beauxbatons boys in the next table to care, and Ron, who was staring at Hermione, was probably too busy plotting Krum's 'accidental' death. Neville concentrated on his food and tried to look everywhere but Seamus and Lavender. Ginny and Harry tried to distract each other with comments about the food like "pork chop's good," or "try the fillet," but that didn't really work.

Thankfully, Dumbledore decided that it was time for the dance to start. He asked everyone to stand up, positioned the tables and the chairs along the walls, and conjured a raised platform into existence along the right wall. Musical instruments were set upon it.

The members of the Weird Sisters started trooping up the stage. The Weird Sisters was Ginny's favorite band. She clapped enthusiastically with everyone else, and was one of those who stood up in excitement. The vocalist walked up front and performed the Sonorus charm, then the first chords were struck and the Champions and their partners started dancing to one of the band's slower songs.

"What's this song called?" asked Harry.

"The Last Dance," Ginny replied automatically. It was one of the songs in the Weird Sisters' new album, but she wasn't surprised that Harry didn't know it. He was pitifully ignorant when it came to the music scene, which was ironic considering his godfather was one of the best musicians in recent times. Quidditch, Harry could spurt the latest team and player standings in under a minute, but music…go talk to someone else.

"Oh," said Harry, looking like he was hoping that it really would be the last dance.

She suddenly felt the need to explain the song to him.

"It's about these two childhood friends who have dance, er, 'sessions' together, and they—well, they fall in love," she said, looking up and meeting his emerald green eyes. "See, the chorus goes: our hands were held together, and I had been so unaware, that you taught my heart what it was to truly love and care…."

She trailed off, realizing the gravity of what she just said. Harry was looking at her, waiting for her to continue. She could see that he was sincerely interested in what she was saying. His eyes were suddenly too bright for her and Ginny looked away, unable to gaze into them for a moment longer.

"Just, er, wait for the chorus," she said quietly, staring at the people on the dance floor but not really seeing them. She didn't know why she had felt the need to explain the song, it was really unnecessary. But at least, she thought, Harry wasn't making any immature comments like Ron would have.

"Come on, Lav," Seamus said loudly, interrupting Ginny from her thoughts.

Lavender took the hand Seamus had offered and he led her to the dance floor. Dean and his girlfriend followed them a second later.

"Er…would you like to dance?" Neville asked Parvati.

"Yeah, sure," said Parvati, taking Neville's hand.

Parvati lightly touched her twin sister on the arm and gave her a look that could mean '_good luck with him_' or '_sorry for partnering you up with him_'. 'Him', of course, could only mean Ron, who was frowning at Hermione and Viktor Krum as they danced to the music.

The Weird Sisters started playing their more upbeat songs. Harry cocked his head to one side, Ginny tapped her foot lightly to the music, Ron frowned, and Padma waved to one of the Beauxbatons boys from the next table.

"Hey, what's this one called?" Harry asked Ginny. Ron sighed loudly beside her.

"Just a Smile Away," she replied. Ron gave an irritable huff.

"Yeah? It's good," Harry said simply, grinning at her. She gave an awkward smile and looked away from him again. Ron let out another frustrated sigh.

"What is your problem?" she asked her brother in annoyance.

Ron looked stonily at her for a minute before turning back to the table without giving her a reply. Ginny closed her eyes for a moment, summoning the last ounce of her patience.

"I'm sorry about him, Padma," she told the girl evenly. "He's just pissed—"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked irritably. "What are you apologizing for?"

Harry tried to intervene. "Guys—"

"Isn't it obvious, Ron?" she said angrily. "You are being the worst date in the history of dates. And not only that, you are spreading your angry aura all around you! This would've been an enjoyable evening if you weren't sitting there huffing and puffing like you're trying to catch a Blast-Ended Skrewt!"

"Ginny," Harry said weakly.

He tugged on her arm. She pulled it away. Ron opened his mouth again.

"You know what Ginny, this _was_ a lovely evening until you started talking to me," said Ron. "Your voice is irritating and I don't care what you think, so just mind your own damn business!"

Ginny looked angrily at her brother, her jaws clenched. She had a million things to say to him. He had no right to call her irritating. He was the one who was irritating. If he wanted her to mind her own business, he shouldn't have been sitting next to her interrupting her conversation with Harry. If he wanted to go with Hermione, he should have asked her sooner. And now that she's with Krum, he should be a good sport about it.

Ginny couldn't—wouldn't—let her brother ruin the night. She took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself and turned to Padma.

"I'd go dance with someone else if I were you," Ginny told Padma. She turned to Harry and without really thinking, she grabbed his arm, said, "Let's go dance," and dragged him to the dance floor.

Ginny let go of Harry when they got to the middle of the dance floor. He looked awkwardly at her, and then around them, looking quite lost as to what to do. She was still fuming because of Ron and wasn't really too keen on dancing.

"Oi, what are you two doing?" Fred called over the loud music. "Don't just stand there."

"Dance, dance," said Angelina, nodding fervently at the two of them.

Angelina let go of Fred's hand and pushed Harry nearer to Ginny. Fred took Angelina's hand again, winked at Ginny and Harry, and led Angelina away. They 'accidentally' bumped into Malfoy and he was pushed towards Pansy Parkinson so that their faces were inches away from each other. Ginny made a face; she would not want to be the one kissing Malfoy. Disgusting. Parkinson didn't seem to mind, but Malfoy didn't look too happy. He whipped around to see who had pushed him but Fred and Angelina were already on the other side of the room.

Ginny's mood lifted up. She turned back to Harry and grinned at him. She started swaying her shoulders, then her whole body, to the music. Harry stood still, looking at her with an amused smile on his face.

"What are you doing?" she asked, hitting him lightly on the arm. "Dance, dance!"

The current song ended and the next song started playing. Ginny recognized it the moment the first chords were struck. She happily clapped her hands.

"Come on, Harry," she said cheerfully. "This is my favorite song!"

Ginny sang along with the Weird Sisters, dancing all the while. Harry grinned at her and started bobbing his head. The next second, he was dancing enthusiastically to the music.

"See, it's not so bad," she told him.

And it really wasn't. The Weird Sisters were playing their upbeat songs and everyone was dancing together. At one point, a break dance took place and Ginny clapped enthusiastically with everyone else as a fifth year Hufflepuff showed off his dance moves. Fred and Angelina also approached Ginny and Harry from time to time and the four of them would dance together. George, who was going stag so that he could 'dance with every girl', also came and pushed Harry out of the way because he 'wanted to dance with his little sister'. Harry pushed George back and he went to pester Lee Jordan and Katie Bell. Ginny laughed at her brothers' antics. They always managed to make everything a lot of fun.

Presently, the current song ended. The vocalist cleared his throat. "Alright," he began, "this next song was originally by Ephraim Lewis, who was a genius by many standards."

The vocalist signaled to his bandmates and the song began, with the sax player, guitarist, and drummer playing the intro. Ginny could tell that it was going to be a romantic song. Fred put his arms around Angelina and pulled her towards him, George stepped closer to the Beauxbatons girl he was dancing with, Dean and his girlfriend put their heads together, and Viktor Krum took Hermione's hands and put them around his neck. Harry looked at Ginny and grinned awkwardly as he nervously tried to flatten his hair. The vocalist started singing the first lines of the song.

_Feel the ground it's slipping away  
__Like a sigh that greets the close of day_

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand.

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7 and NancyDrewGirl

_Additional Disclaimers_:

"The Last Dance" is a translation of a Filipino song called "Ang Huling El Bimbo", by a band called "Eraserheads". It is a very sad, yet deep and profound song. But it is not merely a song. One could say that this song is ingrained in the culture of recent Philippines. And one could safely assume that if someone is Filipino, then they know this song.

"Just a Smile Away" is a title from an "APO Hiking Society" song. Again, they are a Filipino band.

Ephraim Lewis is a real-life musician. He died in 1994. "Drowning in Your Eyes" is my favorite song of his. The song was released before Christmas of 1994, so reality will not implode. Let's just assume in this story that he's a Wizard who also played his music in the Muggle world.

_Review questions and answers that everyone else might like to know_:

**Q:** Can you please add Luna to the story?  
**A:** Luna _will_ be in this story but you'll have to wait about seven chapters for her to make an appearance.

**Q:** Lupin is permanent?  
**A:** All I can say is Lupin won't get sacked.

**Q:** When can we meet Harry's parents?  
**A:** We'll meet Harry's parents at the end of his fourth year when they meet him in Platform 9 and 3/4


	9. The Yule Ball 4

The vocalist started singing the first lines of the song.

_Feel the ground it's slipping away_

_Like a sigh that greets the close of day_

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand. She turned around and led him out of the dance floor, trying hard not to feel the ground slipping away beneath her as his hand warmed hers.

She let go of him as they got back to their table, where Ron was sitting by himself, still frowning at Hermione and Viktor Krum. Harry wisely sat himself between her and Ron. She put her hand palm-up on her lap. It was still hot and tingling from its recent contact with Harry's.

Ginny had only been sitting for a second when a boy she knew to be from Ravenclaw approached their table, smiling nervously at her.

"Hi, Ginny," the boy greeted. "I'm Michael Corner—Ravenclaw. We share Charms class," he said to Harry and Ron, both of whom nodded at him. "I was wondering if I could dance with you….that is, er, if you don't mind," he added, his gaze flickering to Harry then back to her.

The song's chorus started.

_I'm drowning in your eyes_

_I'm floating out to sea_

Ginny looked questioningly at Harry. He looked back, his green eyes unreadable.

_Helpless on the restless tide_

"It's up to you," he said. His tone was impassive.

_That flows between me and you_

She pushed her disappointment away and turned to Michael Corner, smiling as genuinely as she could.

"Sure," she said to Michael Corner, whose smile widened.

"Thanks," he said breathlessly.

Harry frowned at Ginny's retreating back as Michael Corner led her to the dance floor, the lights dancing merrily on her red hair as it swayed in rhythm with her hips. Michael Corner was smiling stupidly as he and Ginny stopped and turned to face each other. He took her left hand in his right and put his left hand on her waist. Harry looked away.

"You know, I let you go with Ginny so that other guys wouldn't go near her," said Ron. "And now you let her dance with that _wart_?"

"Leave her alone, Ron," snapped Harry. "Ginny's not a child, she doesn't need you breathing down her neck."

"Gee, mate, I was just joking," said Ron, blinking in surprise at Harry's outburst.

"Right…sorry," said Harry quietly. He wasn't quite sure what suddenly made him so irritable. He had been perfectly fine a few minutes ago.

Ron gave Harry a curious look before going back to his favorite pastime that evening: staring at Hermione.

Ginny turned to face Michael Corner as they reached the middle of the dance floor. Michael grinned at her with a questioning look in his eyes. He tentatively reached out for her hand. She smiled, letting him take her hand without resistance. Emboldened, he put his other hand on her waist.

"Thanks for this dance, Ginny," said Michael.

"No problem," she said lightly.

"Is...er…is there anything going on between you and Harry?" asked Michael.

The vocalist's voice filtered through Ginny's ear.

_Lying here beside you_

_Trying to reach you but you're so far_

Ginny looked over Michael Corner's shoulder at Harry. He was looking at someone in the dance floor but Ginny couldn't see whom they were from where she was standing. She assumed that he was staring at Cho Chang.

"No, there's nothing," she told Michael. "We only came as friends."

"Oh? Well, that's good news," Michael said happily.

Ginny smiled at him. The vocalist began singing the final chorus.

_I'm drowning in your eyes…_

Ginny looked up and met Michael Corner's gaze. His eyes were blue with streaks of grey. They had a metallic quality to them. It was a beautiful color, but she suddenly found herself wishing that they were the vivid green of emeralds.

Cho and Cedric stood close to each other on the dance floor, swaying slowly to the music. Harry frowned at them. Cho was looking very radiant and Cedric was looking happily back at her. Frowning, Harry looked away and turned to Ron, who was still glaring at Hermione and Viktor Krum. It was only then that Harry realized something.

"Hey, where's Padma, by the way?" he asked Ron.

Ron shrugged uncaringly. Harry wasn't really interested so he didn't push Ron. The current song ended and the next one began, but Ginny and Michael Corner continued to dance. Hermione came over and took Ginny's empty seat.

"Hi," said Harry. Ron didn't say anything.

"Hi," she greeted brightly. "Why aren't you two dancing? It's loads of fun."

Hermione did look like she was having a lot of fun. Her face was still flushed from dancing.

"Where's Ginny?" she asked.

Harry nodded his head wordlessly towards Ginny and Michael Corner.

"She looks like she's having fun," said Hermione, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

Harry shot her an annoyed glance. She didn't really have to point that out. Hermione didn't seem to notice.

"It's hot, isn't it?" she said, fanning herself with her hand. "Viktor's just gone to get some drinks."

Ron gave her a withering look. "_Viktor_?" he said. "Hasn't he asked you to call him _Vicky_ yet?"

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What's up with you?" she said.

"If you don't know," said Ron scathingly, "I'm not going to tell you."

Hermione stared at him, and then at Harry, who shrugged.

"Ron, what—?"

"He's from Durmstrang!" spat Ron. "He's competing against Hogwarts! You—you're—" Ron was obviously casting around for words strong enough to describe Hermione's crime, "_fraternizing with the enemy_, that's what you're doing!"

Hermione's mouth fell open.

"Don't be so stupid!" she said after a moment. "The _enemy_! Honestly—who was the one who was all excited when they saw him arrive? Who was the one who wanted his autograph? Who's got a model of him up in their dormitory?"

Ron chose to ignore this. "I s'pose he asked you to come with him while you were both in the library?"

"Yes, he did," said Hermione, the pink patches on her cheeks glowing more brightly. "So what?"

"What happened—trying to get him to join _spew_, were you?"

"No, I wasn't! If you _really_ want to know, he—he said he'd been coming up to the library every day to try and talk to me, but he hadn't been able to pluck up the courage!"

Hermione said this very quickly, and she blushed so deeply that her face matched Ron's hair.

"Yeah, well—that's his story," said Ron nastily.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Obvious, isn't it? He's hoping you'll help him with whatever it is they wanted them to do with that stupid egg! I suppose you've been putting your heads together during those cozy little library sessions-"

"I'd _never_ help him with anything regarding the Triwizard Tournament!" said Hermione, looking outraged. "_Never_. How could you say something like that—I want Hogwarts to win!"

"You've got a funny way of showing it," sneered Ron.

"This whole tournament's supposed to be about getting to know foreign wizards and making friends with them!" said Hermione hotly.

"No it isn't!" shouted Ron. "It's about winning!"

People were starting to stare at them.

"Guys," Harry began in a frustrated tone. He was getting rather tired of playing peacemaker between Ron and Hermione.

Ron ignored him.

"Why don't you go and find Vicky, he'll be wondering where you are," said Ron.

"_Don't call him Vicky!_"

Hermione jumped to her feet and stormed off across the dance floor, disappearing into the crowd. Ron watched her go with a mixture of anger and satisfaction on his face.

"Well, you've had a productive evening," Harry said wryly. "You've already had two girls storm away from you. Or maybe it's three, if we include Padma."

"Don't start Harry," said Ron, still glaring after Hermione.

Harry rolled his eyes and looked towards the dance floor. He hadn't really heard anything over Ron and Hermione's argument, but he was pretty sure that the current song was different from the one that was playing before Ron and Hermione started fighting. Still, Ginny continued to dance with Michael Corner.

"Let's get out of here," Ron suggested as Hermione and Viktor Krum started dancing again.

Harry looked at Cho and Cedric. He too wanted to go somewhere else so that he couldn't see them, but he didn't want to leave Ginny.

"I can't leave Ginny here," he said to Ron.

"She's still dancing with that Corner git, she won't notice."

Ron's words stung a little. "I know, but _I'm_ her date," said Harry a little resentfully.

"Well, _I'm_ getting out of here," declared Ron. He stood up and walked out of the Great Hall.

Two songs later, Ginny finally decided to join Harry.

"Hey, where's Ron?" she asked lightly as she took the seat beside him. Like Hermione, her face was flushed from all the dancing.

"He went outside," said Harry, a hint of irritation escaping from his voice.

Ginny noticed and she looked curiously at him. He stood up and ignored the look she was giving him.

"I'll go get you a drink," he said tonelessly.

Harry walked to the table where they were keeping all the drinks and took two cups of ice-cold punch for him and Ginny. He glanced irritably at Cho and Cedric, who hadn't stopped dancing. A vindictive thought came to his mind and he imagined them collapsing to the floor in exhaustion. He huffed irritably and went back to Ginny, wordlessly putting her drink in front of her.

"What's up with you?" Ginny finally asked.

Harry looked at Ginny in annoyance. She looked back at him, her brown eyes blazing with defiance. He looked away, unable to hold her gaze. Truth be told, he didn't really know what was going on with him.

"Nothing…I don't know," he said honestly.

Ginny took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Wanna get some air?" she asked.

"Yes," said Harry gratefully. "This place is _suffocating_ me."

Harry stood up and followed Ginny into the entrance hall. They headed for the front doors, which stood open, and stepped out into the cool night. They walked down the stairs towards the rose garden, which was put up for the purposes of the Yule Ball.

It was a moonless night. Fairies, trapped in glass containers, illuminated the garden, which was surrounded by large stone statues with flowering vines climbing around them. The winding paths were lined with rosebushes, some of which hid pairs of students who were probably seeking more 'adventurous' activities than dancing.

Further ahead, Harry could see a large stone reindeer spurting jets of water. He followed Ginny as she set off along one of the paths towards the reindeer fountain. Carved benches were placed in measured intervals around it. Ginny chose the one facing the reindeer and Harry took a seat beside her. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the water, which seemed to splash in tune with the music filtering out of the Great Hall.

Harry looked sideways at Ginny. The blue fairy lights made her dress appear darker, causing her fiery red hair, which seemed to defy the lights' color, stand out in even greater contrast against it. Her hair was draped over one shoulder and several strands strayed to her face. She was frowning slightly and gazing at the sky as though the stars held an answer to a secret question. She must have sensed him looking at her because she tore her gaze from the heavens and met his eyes.

* * *

The stars twinkled merrily against the inky black sky. They were teasing her; she just knew it. She didn't know what made her suggest it—what made her think that going out there in the garden was a good idea. All she knew was that she didn't want to see Harry staring after Cho anymore. Could it be—?

Ginny mentally shook herself. No, that couldn't be it.

She sensed Harry looking at her, so she lowered her head and met his emerald green eyes. Unable to hold his gaze, she immediately looked away and cast around for a topic to break their silence.

"What's, er, what's up with Ron and Hermione?" asked Ginny, her eyes fixed on the reindeer fountain to avoid Harry's gaze.

"Oh, Ron didn't want Hermione to go with Krum," replied Harry. She could detect a slight note of exasperation in his voice. "Said she was 'fraternizing with the enemy'."

"_Fraternizing with the enemy_?" she asked incredulously.

"His words, not mine," said Harry, shrugging.

Ginny frowned in annoyance at her brother. "Ron's an idiot," she said fervently.

Harry grunted noncommittally. She knew he didn't agree with her, or even if he did, he did not want to voice it.

"He is," she told him firmly. "It's his own fault that Hermione came with Viktor Krum. He should've asked her sooner. And he should stop being a child about it. I bet he's already told her that Krum just wanted her help with the Tournament."

"Well, Ginny, you certainly know your brother," commented Harry. He was obviously not inclined to join in her tirade about Ron. She continued anyway.

"He's insensitive, a sore loser, and an idiot."

"He's still your brother," Harry pointed out.

Ginny huffed irritably. She didn't see how that was relevant. "Sometimes I wish he wasn't," she told Harry, crossing her arms in front of her.

For some reason, Harry burst out laughing, irritating her even more.

"And _what_ is so funny?" she asked, glaring sternly at him.

"Nothing!" he said loudly, even though he was still grinning. "You—you're so stubborn."

He was looking at her in amusement. The constantly flowing water reflected ripples of blue fairy lights on to his eyes, giving her the impression that she was at sea, drowning in them. She blinked, tearing her gaze away from his captivating green eyes, and again turned to stare at the heavens.

"Oh…right," she said quietly, unable to come up with anything smarter to say.

_Merlin, what is going on_?

She focused her gaze on the stars, begging them for answers. What is it? What was this _thing_ bubbling inside of her? What was wrong with her?

"I wish I had a brother," Harry said after a while, interrupting the barrage of questions forming in her head. "Or a sister," he added.

Ginny turned to face him, grateful for having something to talk about. It prevented her from thinking.

"How come you don't have one?"

It was certainly odd. Ginny had met Harry's parents several times and they seemed like the sort of couple who would want more than one kid. She could tell that they really loved each other and they had no qualms in showing that to the world. They were a lot like her own parents in that respect, definitely nothing like the icy Malfoys.

Harry took a deep breath before replying. "Well, Mum had some, er, complications when she gave birth to me," he explained. "The Healers told her that she couldn't have a child anymore. She, er, she almost died…."

Harry trailed off. She could tell that it was costing him to tell that to her. That it was not something he would like to talk about with just anybody.

"I bet you thought it was your fault," she said calmly, hoping to keep the tone light. She did not want to see him sad.

"At the time Mum told me, yeah," he told her. "I was nine. I had kept bugging her and Dad about why I don't have little brothers and sisters. I cried for a whole afternoon when she told me…."

He trailed off again. She had a feeling that he hadn't told anyone about that last part.

"You didn't have to tell me that," she said.

"I know."

Ginny felt her heart soar at this simple answer. It was very gratifying to know that Harry trusted her enough to tell her something that he must've thought was embarrassing.

"I wished I had a sister too," she said, smiling at Harry.

"Really?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, when I was younger," she replied, her smile widening into a mischievous smirk. "But not now, not anymore…. I have Hermione, see. I secretly adopted her as my older sister. But don't tell her that," she added conspiratorially.

Harry exploded into mirthful laughter. Ginny looked at him, mesmerized by the way his face lit up in delight, and happy that she was able to make him laugh.

"You won't tell her?" she asked jokingly.

"I won't tell, I promise," Harry said in a mock-solemn tone.

He was looking directly at her with an amused expression on his face, his eyes twinkling almost as if they had their own internal lights. Ginny suddenly found herself struggling for breath. Her heart started beating faster, as though making up for lack of air. She tore her eyes away from his, only to have them rest on his lips. He was trying not to smile, but the corners of his mouth started tugging upwards—the start of a full-blown grin. She wondered what it would be like—

Ginny quickly turned her head away from him and stared unseeingly at the reindeer fountain. She fought the blush that was starting to creep up her cheeks.

_Merlin, this cannot be happening_!

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Harry turn towards the reindeer fountain. He was still smiling, a contented look settling on his handsome face.

_How can he be so calm_?

Ginny focused her gaze on the fountain, letting the quiet ripples lull her heart to a normal pace. A silence settled over them, both nervous and comfortable. How she could feel both contradicting emotions at the same time, she had no idea. She swallowed hard several times and struggled to find her voice.

"We should get back," she said after a while.

She stood up, not meeting his eyes, and headed for the castle doors. Behind her, she could hear Harry hurrying up after her.

People had already started filing out of the Great Hall when they got back to the castle. It was already a few minutes past midnight. Ginny and Harry scanned the Hall for Ron, Hermione, and Neville, but they couldn't find the three of them, so they headed for Gryffindor tower by themselves.

They trudged along the hallways in silence. Most of the students had already gone up to the tower ahead of them. The only sounds to be heard were the treads of their weary feet and the whispers from the portraits.

Ginny walked a step behind Harry. She stared at his back, half-formed questions running through her mind. He was walking in that characteristic way of his—an unassuming gait that she now found quite attractive. His jet-black hair had refused all of his attempts to flatten it and was sticking up in all directions like it always did. He had recently cut his hair, she noticed. It now stopped short at the back of his neck, brushing the collar of his dark blue dress robes. She wondered what it would be like to run her hands through his hair. Would it be silky? Smooth? Rough? Would it smell of mint? Apples? Peaches—?

She mentally shook herself. No, she shouldn't go there.

Presently, Ginny and Harry arrived at the Fat Lady's portrait. They stepped through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room just in time to witness Ron and Hermione end a nasty shouting match and stomp angrily up the stairs to their respective dormitories.

Ginny stared after Ron and Hermione, her mouth curling into a grimace. Her exasperation at the two of them drove her thoughts and confusion about Harry out of her mind.

"What was that about?" she wondered aloud, looking to Harry for an answer.

Harry shrugged, probably too used to his best friends' arguments to worry too much about it. Ginny smiled fondly at Harry's reaction. She walked towards the girls' staircase, turning back to Harry as she stepped onto the bottommost tread. She suddenly felt nervous again.

"Thanks for agreeing to be my partner," Harry said sincerely.

"No problem," said Ginny, trying to keep her voice casual. "_I_ had a lot of fun."

_Except when you were staring at Cho Chang_.

"I had a lot of fun too," he said, grinning widely at her.

Ginny felt her legs weaken. Her shoes suddenly became very interesting and a blush crept slowly up her cheeks. She swayed on the spot for a moment, wondering what to do. Should she hug him? Kiss him? Where? On the cheek? On the lips? No, she couldn't do it.

"Good night," she said abruptly, then, not meeting his eyes, she turned and hurried up the stairs, slamming the door behind her as she entered the third year girls' dormitory.

* * *

_Betaed by_: NancyDrewGirl.

_Last Edit: 25 February 2010_


	10. Snowballing Feelings 1

**Part 3: Snowballing Feelings**

Ginny stared at the canopy of her four-poster bed and tried not to think about _it_. The canopy was too featureless to distract her. Frowning, willing the thoughts away from her mind, she surveyed the dark silhouettes of the third year girls' dormitory. The scarlet drapes of her bed, thrown open because she always felt trapped otherwise, were black in the moonless night. All the third year Gryffindors, excepting her, had gone home for the holidays. She was barely able to make out the dark shapes of her roommates' empty beds and even the starlit sky appeared darker behind the age-worn glass windows. Everything was dark and still.

Her heart hammered furiously against her ribcage. But it wasn't because of the darkness, or the stillness. She shut her eyes tight but she knew it was futile. The question that she had been evading throughout the night now invaded her thoughts, refusing to let her sleep.

_Do I like him_?

She did not know. She did not _want_ to know.

It wouldn't make sense at all. He was only Harry, her brother's best friend. He was her friend too. Well, sort of. They didn't hang around with the same group of people, but they went flying every Saturday. They were friends, but not _quite_. They were flying buddies, but not _just_.

Harry was an amazing flier. He could give some of the League's best players a run for their money. She liked watching him fly. He was never clumsy on the ground, but in the air he was in his element. He radiated a sort of charm that made it difficult to take her eyes off of him. The look of concentration on his face as he chased after the Snitch or geared for a flying trick fascinated her. His jaw set in determination, his jet-black hair whipped backwards by the wind, his green eyes intense behind those glasses—

His eyes were beautiful. She remembered that it was the first thing she had noticed about him. Those striking, emerald eyes….

_Ginny held on to her mum, holding back tears, as they followed her brothers down Platform Nine and Three Quarters. She gripped her mum's hand tightly, terrified that her mum might also go to Hogwarts without her and afraid that she might get lost in the hustle and bustle of the Platform. Percy had gone on ahead, saying something about prefect responsibilities. Fred and George had also gone ahead, joining their friends from school. _

_Ginny was left with her mum and Ron. She looked at them as her mum tried to wipe dirt off Ron's nose. She bit her lip, trying not to cry. She did not want to cry in front of her brothers. But it was so unfair! Why couldn't she go to Hogwarts with them? She was going to be all alone now. She still had her mum, but unlike her brothers, she knew her mum wouldn't play dress-the-gnome or chase-the-chickens or hide-and-seek or other kinds of games with her. Why did she have to stay for one more year, anyway? Why do the boys get all the fun? Why—_

"_Mum, why can't I bring my Nimbus to Hogwarts?"_

_Ginny's ears perked up at the mention of the broom model. She turned around towards the direction of the speaker and saw a small family standing just a few feet away from her. A dark-haired, bespectacled boy was frowning up at a woman whom Ginny guessed was his mother. The boy's mother had long auburn hair and Ginny wondered briefly if she was a Weasley. The woman's hair, however, was a much deeper shade of red than any of the Weasleys'. Standing on the boy's other side was a man who, judging by the similarities in appearance, could only be his father. The man was standing in front of a trolley loaded with a huge trunk and a beautiful white owl in a cage. Next to the messy-haired man was a taller man wearing a black, dragon hide jacket. The three grown-ups looked slightly familiar to Ginny._

"_For the last time, Harry," said the auburn-haired woman, clearly exasperated, "First years aren't allowed to bring brooms to school. It was in your letter."_

"_But Dad told me he brought his broom to Hogwarts when _he_was in first year," debated the boy—Harry, apparently._

_The boy's mother rounded on his father, who looked guiltily at her, and she started saying something to him in a fierce whisper. Ginny caught the words 'bad-influence' and 'rule-breaking'. The boy—Harry—looked hopelessly at his mum and dad, then at the man with the dragon hide jacket, probably for support, but the man only shrugged and gave him a commiserating look. The boy heaved a sigh and looked around, his gaze falling on Ginny._

_Now that the boy was looking at her, Ginny saw that he had the most startling green eyes. On a whim, she smiled encouragingly at him, hoping that he could convince his mum to let him bring his Nimbus to Hogwarts and wondering if it was the latest Nimbus model. The boy blinked, looking at her in confusion. A moment later, a small smile slowly spread across his face._

"_Molly Weasley?" the boy's mother called._

_Ginny tore her eyes from the boy and looked up at his mother, who was now looking back and forth between her and her own mother, whose attention was still on Ron. Ginny's mum stopped fussing over Ron and turned around._

"_Lily Potter!" her mum exclaimed, smiling in recognition at the auburn-haired lady._

Ginny remembered being introduced to the Potters and Sirius Black after that. It was obvious that her mum knew them from somewhere. She later learned, during the summer before her second year, that Mr. Potter and Sirius had had some business with her father concerning a flying motorbike which belonged to Sirius. Her mum also told her that Mrs. Potter had been her Healer back when she was three and had gotten really sick after eating something during a Weasley gathering. It wasn't until Ron and Harry started staying over each other's house, however, that her family got really close with the Potters and Sirius.

Ginny had immediately realized, after being introduced to him, that Sirius Black was the famous musician, which explained why he had looked so familiar. But it wasn't until she had got back home to the Burrow with her mum that she realized that Mr. Potter was actually the Quidditch Hall of Famer who perfected the Elbow Pass, a very difficult Chaser trick which required the ability to fly no-handed. Ginny's knowledge of professional Quidditch had been limited to the Holyhead Harpies when she was younger, which was why she did not immediately recognize Mr. Potter, who used to play for the Appleby Arrows and the Montrose Magpies. She remembered being quite angry with herself for not getting an autograph from a Quidditch Hall of Famer (and a Chaser at that). Now, it seemed weird and somewhat laughable that she would ask for an autograph from Harry's dad.

Ginny did not really remember having Mrs. Potter as her Healer, but it explained why Harry's mum also looked familiar to her. Of course, she did not think of that while still on the Platform. She had been far too preoccupied with the fact that all her brothers were going to Hogwarts without her….

_A whistle sounded throughout Platform Nine and Three Quarters and Ginny watched sadly as Ron, Fred, and George quickly clambered onto the Hogwarts Express with Harry Potter. Ron and Harry quickly disappeared into the train but Fred and George turned back to wave goodbye to Ginny and her mum. Ginny started thinking of how quiet the Burrow would be without her brothers and, unable to hold the tears back any longer, she began to cry, not caring if her brothers would laugh at her._

"_Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls," Fred said reassuringly. This only made Ginny cry harder._

"_We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."_

"_George!"_

"_Only joking, mum," said George, giving Ginny a conspiratorial wink._

_Ginny waved at the twins and at Ron, who had leaned out of another window, as the train began to move. A moment later, she dropped her hand and chased after the train, half-laughing and half-crying, until she couldn't keep up any longer. Her gaze fell on Harry, who was standing beside Ron. He was staring at her, his striking green eyes reflecting the wonder and curiosity she was feeling. Ginny absently raised her hand and waved at him. He waved back, and they stared at each other until the train rounded the corner and disappeared from view._

After the train had gone, Mrs. Potter suggested having lunch with Ginny's mum and Neville's parents, whom they also met at the platform. Her mum had reluctantly agreed and Ginny, of course, tagged along with the grown-ups. She remembered Mrs. Potter being very nice to her and not treating her like she was five, and Mr. Potter and Sirius being really funny and trying to cheer her up because she was still a little upset about being left behind. She also remembered developing a bit of a crush on Sirius, which went away on the summer before her first year when she learned that they were related. They weren't closely related, but still related. And he was years older than her.

Harry, on the other hand, was only a year older than her. And, as far as she knew, the Potters were nowhere near the Weasley family tree—

Of course, that information was irrelevant. She did not like him. No. Definitely Not.

_Keep telling yourself that_, said an unwelcome voice in her head.

_It's true. I don't like him. He's just a friend. Who happens to be very, very_—

Ginny vigorously shook her head. No. She definitely did _not_ like Harry Potter.

The rays of the morning sun crept into the third year girls' dormitory and pierced through Ginny's eyelids, forcing her out of slumber. But she did not want to wake up. She was having a very good dream. Grumbling at the rude sun, she put a pillow over her head and went back to dreamland, where she was dancing with Harry.

_The lights were dim, but his eyes glowed. The music was slow, but her heart was beating rapidly. There were people around them, but their eyes were locked onto each other and he was all that she could see. She was floating. Her heart was soaring—_

Ginny's eyes fluttered open and she sat bolt upright. She fought the blush that was creeping up her cheeks as her dreams—for there was more than one of them—came to her. She bit her lip, frowning.

She did not like him. Not like _that_. It was probably only because of the Yule Ball that she was having those dreams. It didn't mean she had feelings for him. It was just an effect of going to the Ball with him. It would pass. She was sure of it.

Certain that she was right, Ginny dressed and headed down the girls' staircase. The common room was empty. Guessing that everyone had gone down to breakfast, she headed for the Great Hall.

Ginny scanned the Gryffindor table for familiar faces. She was the only Gryffindor third year who had been invited to the Yule Ball, so all her classmates, having gone home for the holidays, weren't around. Fred and George sat in the middle of a group of loudly laughing sixth years while Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville sat on one end of the table, talking quietly. Not wanting to feel out of place with the sixth years, Ginny immediately made her way towards the four fourth years. She was a few steps away from them when Harry turned around and caught her eye.

"Hi, Ginny," he greeted brightly.

Suddenly feeling shy, Ginny gave him a bashful smile and he returned it with a brilliant grin. She tried, and failed, not to blush as all coherent thought left her brain and she forgot what to say next. Thankfully, Ron, Hermione, and Neville chose that moment to say their greetings, sparing her from having to say something. She nodded mutely at her friends and took the seat beside Hermione.

Ginny ducked her head, careful not to let anyone see her red face, and tried desperately to will the blood away from her cheeks. The boys did not seem to notice anything and had turned back to their breakfasts, but Hermione was looking at her like she was a particularly interesting Arithmancy problem. Ginny ignored the older girl's curious stare and absently started piling food on her plate.

Harry, Ron, and Neville began—or most probably, continued—discussing the current Quidditch season and the chances of the participating teams but Ginny was too distracted to join in their conversation.

_I don't like him_, she thought stubbornly.

_Of course you don't_, said that annoying little voice in her head, dry and sardonic. _You just blush and get tongue-tied around him. So yeah, you don't like him_, concluded the voice, more sarcastic than she could ever be.

_This is only because of that stupid Ball_, she thought.

_You're a good liar, but you can't lie to yourself._

_I'm _not_ lying._

_He looked really handsome in those dress robes_.

_That proves my point. I'm only having these… 'feelings' because we went to the Ball together. It'll pass. I don't have feelings for him_.

_Watching him on a broom is fascinating._

_I only watch him as someone who appreciates the beauty of flying tricks._

_He is beautiful, isn't he?_

_Yea—No!_

_The way he leans forward on his broom when he chases after the Snitch_.

_The way his hair dances to the wind_.

_The look on his face when he speeds up on his Firebolt_.

_His smile—wait, no—just because I think he's cute—_

_Ah…. Busted. You think he's cute_.

_That doesn't mean—_

"Right, Ginny?" a voice to her right said loudly, interrupting her internal debate.

Ginny snapped her head to the direction of the speaker, then began to color when she realized that it was Harry, who was sitting on Hermione's other side.

"Wh-what?" she stammered, grateful for Hermione's bushy hair that hid most of her red face from Harry.

"Ron here says that during the European Cup back in 1983, the Harpies played against the Vratsa Vultures for their last match," Harry explained with a nod at Ron, who was sitting across the table. "It was against the Grodzisk Goblins, wasn't it?"

On a normal day, Ginny would be able to answer that question in a heartbeat. On a normal day, she would be able to tell anyone the Harpies' standings both in the European League and the British and Irish League from the year she was born up until the current season. But now, try as she might, she couldn't remember which team the Harpies had defeated during the final match of their first ever European League win in thirty years.

"Er," she began, not really knowing what to say. Her mind had gone blank. "1983, right? Er, well…."

_Harpies. 1983. First win in thirty years. Who were they playing against?_

_Harry's hair looks really soft from this angle_.

"The hair—"

_The Goblins!_

"The G-goblins," she stammered. "I mean," she swallowed, "the Harpies played against the Goblins. Yeah, you're right Harry."

Ginny sighed inwardly and relaxed her shoulders, relieved that she was able to complete a whole sentence.

"No he isn't," argued Ron. "I'm telling you, it was the Vultures. The _next year_, the Harpies played their last match against the Goblins and lost."

_Oh wait. He's right_.

"Oh yeah, you're right, Ron," said Ginny, not really wanting to admit her mistake but knowing she didn't have a choice—Ron would definitely look it up. "I remember now. The Harpies were playing against the Vultures."

"And you say you support the Harpies," Ron muttered in a sarcastic but good-natured manner.

Ginny didn't really have anything to say to this. Fortunately, Fred and George chose that moment to approach them and save her from further embarrassment.

"Hello children," Fred greeted jovially, draping an arm around Ron's shoulder as George moved to stand between him and Neville.

Ron looked suspiciously at the twins. "What do you want?" he asked, taking Fred's arm off his shoulder.

"Is that a way to say good morning to your older brothers?"

"_Handsome_ older brothers—"

"And right after Christmas—"

"Have you forgotten what Mum taught you?"

"Respect for your elders—"

"The spirit of Christmas—"

"Speaking of," said George, his eyes flicking pointedly to the windows and to the enchanted ceiling. "Nice day for a snowball fight, don't you think?"

* * *

_Betaed by_: NancyDrewGirl_  
_


	11. Snowballing Feelings 2

Ginny, her brothers, Harry, Hermione, and Neville stood in a loose circle near the Hogwarts Lake. It was about half an hour after breakfast and they had decided to take Fred and George's suggestion of a snowball fight. The ground was thick with powdery white snow, which had been falling slowly since daybreak.

"Okay," Fred said loudly, his arms around his twin's shoulder. "We take Ginny and…"

The twins looked around, sizing the others up.

"Hermione," finished George. He grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her towards their group.

"What?" exclaimed Ron, who was standing beside Ginny. She covered her left ear and frowned at her brother as she took a few steps away from him.

"There are four of you and only three of us," protested Ron.

"Glad to know you can count," said Fred, smirking.

"And do basic arithmetic," added George.

"Anyway, it's only fair," explained Fred. "Hermione's such a bad shot anyway that she almost doesn't count."

"Hey!" Hermione protested loudly. She opened her mouth, probably to defend her throwing abilities but apparently realized that Fred wasn't too far off the truth. "I'm not teaming up with you two," she said instead, then walked haughtily back to her earlier place between Ron and Neville.

"Alright then, we're taking Neville," George said easily.

"And Ginny's with us," Harry piped up, gesturing around to indicate that he wanted him, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione to be on the same team. Ginny's stomach did a back flip at the fact that Harry wanted to team up with her, but she kept her expression casual.

"Ah, not possible Harry, old boy," said Fred. Ginny wanted to scream at him.

"You can't separate the GFGSS," explained George. Ginny's hand itched for her wand.

"What's GFGSS?" chorused Harry and Neville, both of whom had not noticed the warning look Ron had given them.

Fred smirked grandly at Harry and Neville. "The Ginny-Fred-George Snowballers Society—"

"Hey, I thought it was the George-Fred-Ginny Snowballers Society!" protested George.

"No it isn't!" argued Ginny, sounding angrier than George's statement merited. It might have had something to do with the fact that her brothers did not want her to be teaming up with Harry, but she refused to believe that particular reason. She did not like Harry, after all.

"It's _Ginny_-Fred-George Snowballers Society," Ginny continued pointedly.

"Either way, it's still the lamest group name I've ever heard," teased Harry.

Ron sniggered appreciatively while Ginny narrowed her eyes at Harry, who was high-fiving Neville. There was no way she could possibly like such an immature prat. She dropped to the ground and scooped two handfuls of powdery snow, forming them into one huge ball.

"I have to disagree with you, Harry," said Ron, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he glanced at Hermione. "I think sp—"

Ron stopped talking and laughed along with everyone else as Ginny stood up and took aim, hitting Harry on the side of the head with her snowball. Harry slowly wiped the snow off his face and straightened his glasses, which had gone askew. He turned to Ginny and tried to frown at her. She gave him an innocent smile, pleased that she had his attention, and slowly backed away. Without warning, Harry quickly formed a snowball and threw it at Ginny, but she was ready for it. She ducked, avoiding Harry's sloppily thrown snowball, but Ron, who was standing behind Ginny, was not as quick and the snowball hit him square in the chin.

The situation quickly deteriorated after that as Ron tried to get back at Harry and hit Neville instead. Fred and George enthusiastically jumped into the fray, aiming at Hermione. Seconds later, a free-for-all snowball fight had ensued as everyone aimed their snowballs at everyone else. Ginny aimed, formed snowballs, dodged, and aimed again. She was careful not to stand in one place for too long and stayed as far away from Harry as possible. He was chasing her, intent on getting even. If she were to be really honest with herself, she rather liked the feeling of being chased by Harry. But of course, it was only because she liked snowball fights. It did not mean that she liked him.

Ginny was good at snowball fights, and this one was no exception. She had only been hit twice, and not on the face. She had hit George a number of times, Ron and Fred twice, and Hermione and Neville once. She also managed to keep an eye on Harry, who she knew was still dogging her heels. Fifteen minutes later, however, she lost sight of him. She looked from left to right, then up ahead. He was nowhere to be seen.

Ginny frowned—there was only one place he could be. She quickly whirled around and saw him stalking towards her, only a few feet away. He stopped in his tracks and gave her a cheeky grin, knowing that he'd been caught. Ginny felt her stomach swoop at his grin, but she immediately brushed it off. She stepped back, smirking, and taking advantage of his delay, turned and ran away from him.

Ginny stopped running when she was a good few yards away from the others. Harry was still following her but at least she was safe from the others' wayward snowballs. She had two snowballs, one in each hand. Harry was now walking slowly towards her. She did not back away this time. She smirked at him and threw the first one. He ducked, like she knew he would. She threw the second snowball half a second later, sure that he wouldn't be able to avoid it, but she had clearly underestimated his reflexes. He was able to dodge both snowballs _and_ throw a snowball at her. She ducked just in time, and the ball grazed her back. She was in no position to dodge another attack, but luckily, Harry had run out of ammunition. Ginny quickly formed two snowballs as Harry did the same and seconds later, their attack-dodge-attack exchange continued.

Minutes passed, snowballs flew back and forth, and still Ginny and Harry had not hit each other. They stood a few feet apart, a snowball in each hand and smirking at each other as they contemplated what to do next. Ginny was about to make the first move when, out of nowhere, a snowball hit Harry in the side of the head, knocking his glasses to the ground. Ginny laughed loudly but a moment later, her laughter was effectively cut short as a snowball hit her on the head with a loud 'splat'. She turned towards the source of the snowballs and saw Fred and George walking towards her with identical evil smirks on their faces. They had their wands out and more than ten snowballs were floating in front of them.

"Hey, no magic!" she shouted at her brothers. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry dropping to his knees and feeling the ground for his glasses.

"Actually Gin, no rules," George said cheekily.

The twins flicked their wands and no less than five snowballs zoomed towards her and Harry. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to dodge all of them, Ginny put her arms up, protecting her head.

"_Protego!_" shouted Harry.

Ginny dropped her arms and watched the snowballs stop a few feet away from them and fall unceremoniously to the ground. She turned her attention to Harry. He had his wand out, but he was still fumbling around for his glasses. Ginny ran towards him and handed him his glasses, which were lying at his feet and in grave danger of being trampled.

"Thanks," said Harry.

Ginny nodded in response and immediately began forming snowballs, setting them on the ground. Fred and George stubbornly aimed their snowballs at Harry and Ginny even as the balls stopped a few feet short of their target. Ginny and Harry looked at each other, smirking as an understanding passed between them. They both stood up, Ginny scooping the snowballs she had formed in her arms and together, she and Harry walked towards the twins, protected by Harry's Shield Charm.

"Hand me one," said Harry, transferring his wand to his left hand and thrusting his right hand palm up to Ginny.

She handed him one of her snowballs and turned her attention back to Fred and George, whose smirks had widened with the challenge she and Harry had presented. The twins continued to aim snowballs towards them, probably with the intent of weakening Harry's Shield Charm. Ginny stopped walking and took aim, hitting George's hand and knocking his wand to the ground.

"Nice shot," said Harry appreciatively. He threw his snowball and hit George, who was trying to pick up his wand.

"I'll disarm Fred. You prevent George from picking up his wand," said Ginny, handing another snowball to Harry. They were only a few feet away from the twins and Harry's Shield Charm had given them a great advantage.

Ginny considered using _Expelliarmus_, but one of the unspoken rules in _all_ snowball fights (even those that supposedly had no rules) was to not directly use magic against other players. She decided to disarm Fred in the same way she did George. It took two shots before she was finally able to knock Fred's wand to the ground. After that, the twins were completely helpless against her and Harry. They gleefully pelted Fred and George with snowballs, and the twins barely managed to get away, leaving their wands behind.

"Yes!" Ginny yelled triumphantly. She stuck her tongue out at Fred and George, who had turned back to look at her and Harry when they were a safe distance away. The twins shook their heads and turned to each other, whispering. Ginny laughed at her brothers. They would be harmless—for now.

Harry dropped his Shield Charm and pocketed Fred and George's wand. He turned to Ginny, his bright green eyes glinting mischievously.

"What next?" he asked. "Or, more precisely, _who_ next?" he corrected, his lips curling up into a wide smirk.

Ginny bit her lip and returned Harry's grin with a bashful smile. She tore her eyes away from his intense gaze and caught site of Ron and Hermione over his shoulder.

"Ron and Hermione," Ginny said impishly.

Harry turned around and looked at his best friends, who were pelting snowballs at each other. If possible, his grin went even wider. Ginny exchanged another look with him and they dropped to the ground in unison, forming snowballs. When they were sure they had enough, Ginny scooped all the balls in her arms and they walked towards Ron and Hermione.

Harry put up the Shield Charm when they were only a few feet away and he and Ginny immediately began chucking snowballs at an unsuspecting Ron and Hermione. Ron muttered several expletives and Hermione shrieked girlishly, but Ginny and Harry did not relent. Ron and Hermione threw their remaining snowballs at Harry and Ginny, and quickly realized that Harry had put up a Shield Charm. Hermione started backing away but Ron immediately began forming snowballs.

"Ron, Harry's using a Shield Charm," shouted Hermione.

"I know!" Ron shouted back, still forming snowballs.

Ginny sniggered at this exchange, not missing its irony. After all, Ron and Hermione had been acting rather formally towards each other ever since breakfast. Ginny threw another snowball at her brother but he only ducked his head to prevent his face from being hit.

"What's up, Ron?" said Harry. Ginny could hear the smirk in his voice. "Ready to surrender?"

"Your red head is like one, giant, bulls-eye," teased Ginny. She and Harry had stopped throwing snowballs at him, seeing no fun in an easy target.

"Ron!" yelled Hermione.

Ron seemed to have finished forming snowballs because he finally stood up, scooped the snowballs in his arms, and ran towards Hermione.

"Go, Hermione!" he shouted, dropping to the ground near the bushy-haired girl and setting the snowballs in front of her.

"What?" Hermione asked in confusion.

Ginny shared Hermione's sentiment. She laughed, wondering if Ron wanted Hermione to kick the snowballs towards her and Harry.

"Swish and flick!" said Ron.

A look of comprehension crossed Hermione's face and Harry suddenly burst out laughing beside Ginny.

"What—" began Ginny, but she immediately got the answer to her unspoken question as Hermione muttered the levitating charm and the snowballs floated up into the air.

Of course. _Wingardium Leviosa_. That was what Fred and George used. Ginny had no idea why she had not used it. Probably because throwing snowballs was much better than levitating them.

"That's still no use against a Shield Charm," Harry told his best friends cheekily.

"Oh, I know," said Hermione, giving Ginny and Harry a grin that could put Fred and George's to shame.

She flicked her wand and two snowballs separated from the group floating in front of her. But instead of zooming towards Ginny and Harry, the snowballs flew upwards and over their heads. Ginny and Harry watched the two snowballs in confusion. A second later, they realized Hermione's intention as the snowballs zoomed towards them from behind, where Harry's Shield Charm was useless. Ginny and Harry dodged the snowballs, but more snowballs were coming at them and Harry had gotten distracted, his Shield Charm deactivating.

"Good one, Hermione," Ron said gleefully as he began forming more snowballs.

"I still can't do _Protego Totallum_!" muttered Harry.

Ginny had no idea what he meant. She took out her wand and levitated their remaining snowballs, flicking them towards Hermione. Harry followed her lead, but they were terribly short on ammunition. Harry tried making snowballs but Hermione was two steps ahead of them. Finally, after two minutes of being pelted everywhere, Ginny and Harry beat back a hasty retreat as Ron and Hermione cheered in triumph.

"Damn," Ginny muttered as she and Harry ran, Ron and Hermione at their heels.

Harry's Shield Charm could not protect the caster's back. A plan quickly began forming in Ginny's head, but it involved two people casting the Shield Charm. Unfortunately, however, she could not cast a Shield Charm. When she came to think of it, she didn't think Ron and Hermione or even the twins could cast a Shield Charm either. It seemed to be one of those dueling spells Harry learned from his father or Sirius.

"We need two people casting the Shield Charm!" she said to Harry between gasps for air.

Harry looked at her. A moment later, he grinned, apparently realizing her plan. "Neville can," he told her.

"Where _is_ Neville, by the way?" asked Ginny. She was not surprised that Neville knew the Shield Charm. After all, his parents were two of the Ministry's best Aurors. He was bound to learn a thing or two from them.

Harry shrugged, and then looked around, which was quite a hard task when one was running. "There!" he said after a moment, pointing to his right.

Ginny followed the direction of Harry's finger and saw Neville being double-teamed by Fred and George. She immediately veered right, Harry right behind her. Fred and George saw Ginny and Harry running in their direction and burst out laughing. No doubt, the twins were incredibly amused that Ginny and Harry were running from Ron and Hermione. A moment later, the twins stopped laughing as they realized that Ginny and Harry were leading Ron and Hermione towards them.

"Oi! Don't come here!" shouted Fred.

Ginny and Harry took no heed and continued running towards Neville and the twins. Fred and George, whose wands were still in Harry's possession, knew that they were no match against Ginny and Harry or Ron and Hermione and immediately backed away, having no desires of getting caught in the crossfire.

"See ya later, Neville," George said jovially as he and Fred watched from a safe distance.

"Neville!" said Harry as he and Ginny approached the other boy. "Cast a Shield Charm!"

"What?" asked Neville, still confused from Fred and George's attack.

"Cast a Shield Charm," Harry said again.

"Why—oh, alright," said Neville, straightening up. He took out his wand, squared his shoulders and muttered, "_Protego_," activating a Shield Charm.

Harry cast another Shield Charm, positioning himself so that he, Ginny, and Neville were protected from all sides.

"Brilliant!" said Ginny appreciatively.

"Hey, that's cheating!" shouted Ron. He and Hermione had caught up with them and their zooming snowballs could not penetrate Harry's and Neville's Shield Charm.

Ginny stuck her tongue out to her brother and began forming snowballs as fast as she could. Harry did the same, making snowballs with just one hand. Neville also dropped to his knees and began forming snowballs one-handed, all the while holding up his Shield Charm.

"What are we doing?" Neville asked curiously.

Ginny and Harry looked knowingly at each other, and then gave Neville identical mischievous smirks.

"You'll see," Harry said airily.

A moment later, Ginny decided that they had enough snowballs and she jumped to her feet, motioning for Harry and Neville to do the same. She exchanged another look with Harry before whipping out her wand.

"_Wingardium Leviosa_," she shouted.

The thirty-odd snowballs they had formed floated into the air around Ginny, Harry, and Neville. She turned to Ron and Hermione, taking pleasure in giving them the wickedest grin she could muster.

"Uh-oh," muttered Ron, apparently realizing what Ginny and Harry were up to.

Ron and Hermione took a few steps backwards, turned on their heels, and ran as fast as they could, their floating snowballs flying ahead of them. Ginny, Harry, and Neville looked at each other and laughed. They positioned themselves so that they could move easily without Harry or Neville having to walk backwards or having to break the Shield Charm. Seconds later, they were running after Ron and Hermione with Ginny in the middle, her wand trained on the floating snowballs, and Harry and Neville on either side of her, their wands pointed in opposite directions so their Shield Charms covered all sides.

Ron had long legs and could have easily outrun them, but Hermione had tired quickly and soon, Ron had to slow down for her to keep up. Several minutes later, Ron and Hermione were on the ground, laughing hysterically as Ginny's snowballs floated threateningly over their heads.

"Yield!" Neville said in a half-joking manner, his voice purposefully lowered.

Harry snickered loudly on Ginny's other side, and she guessed that this must be one of those dueling standards he and Neville knew so much about.

Harry smirked at his best friends and held out his hand. "Your wands please," he said in a mock-polite tone.

"_What_?" Ron asked incredulously.

Realizing Harry's intention, Ginny let the snowballs float closer to Ron and Hermione. "Wands," she said, exchanging wicked grins with Harry and Neville. "It's the terms of surrender."

Hermione snorted loudly, totally unaffected by Ginny, Harry, and Neville towering over her and Ron—though it couldn't really be called 'towering' in Ginny's case.

"Surrender, my arse!" Ron spat dramatically and before Hermione could protest his use of language, he had grabbed her arm, stood up, and half-dragged, half-pulled her away from Ginny, Harry, and Neville.

Stunned by Ron's audacity, Ginny, Harry, and Neville could only stare after him and Hermione. A couple of minutes later, Ron seemed to have realized that he was still holding Hermione's hand and he immediately dropped it, his ears turning a lovely shade of red. Ginny, Harry, and Neville burst out laughing, high-fiving each other.

"We are undefeated!" Harry called to Ron and Hermione, who had retreated even farther and were now regarding them thoughtfully, as though trying to come up with a way to beat them.

"From now on, GFGSS is no longer," Ginny declared jokingly. "And in its place: the GHNSS, or, the Ginny-Harry-Neville Snowballers Society."

"Okay, what is it with you and bad group names?" Harry said teasingly. "First GFGSS, then GHNSS, next thing I know you'll be having an ABCDE-up-to-XYZSS."

"You dare insult the master of all snowballers?" she said in a mock-offended tone, her eyes narrowed at Harry.

Neville snorted loudly, and then he and Harry burst out laughing, their Shield Charms dropping. Unable to help herself, Ginny joined in and seconds later, she, Harry, and Neville were bending over in mirth. Harry caught Ginny's eye and he glanced furtively at Neville. Catching his drift, Ginny gave him a knowing grin and together, they dropped to the ground and began forming snowballs.

"Hey, what are you—" Neville began, but immediately stopped at the smirks on Ginny's and Harry's faces. His eyes widened in alarm and he straightened up, taking a few steps backwards.

"You wouldn't," Neville said disbelievingly. Ginny and Harry only smirked even wider.

"Oh no, you—"

Neville was cut off as Ginny suddenly aimed a snowball at him, hitting his arm as he threw it up to protect his head. Harry followed up with a snowball to Neville's torso and pretty soon, Neville was running away from them, screaming the words "traitors" and "betrayals". Ginny and Harry looked at each other and promptly burst out laughing.

"Well," Harry began after a while. "We should call it the HG—"

Ginny still had one snowball in her hand and the opportunity was too good to miss. She took aim, expecting that he would duck, and gasped as the snowball hit him square on the nose.

"Oops," she said sheepishly.

Harry wiped snow off his face for about the millionth time that day and narrowed his eyes at Ginny, who belatedly realized that he was holding two snowballs.

"Why you—"

"I thought you would duck!" Ginny protested as she slowly backed away, suppressing a giggle that was threatening to burst from her throat.

Harry advanced towards her and looked pointedly at the snowball in his right hand. "I haven't gotten you back, you know—"

"Harry—"

"Both for that first shot and for this one—"

"Harry, no—!"

Ginny turned on her heel and tried to run away, but Harry had already grabbed her arm. She spun, facing him, and she was suddenly aware of how close they were. Harry put his right arm around her and she felt her heart beating faster. She was vaguely aware of the fact that if she could just tiptoe and lean half an inch forward, she could kiss him. She felt the breath escape her throat and her knees were about to buckle when she felt something wet trickle down her back. At the back of her mind, she knew that it was his snowball and that it was supposed to be cold, but all she could feel was the blood boiling pleasantly in her veins and her face heating up. It was a good thing that she was already flushed from all their running around, or Harry would have known how much their closeness had affected her.

Harry stepped back, grinning mischievously and Ginny couldn't decide whether to lunge at him, melt to the ground, or die of embarrassment. She vaguely felt a snowball hitting the back of her head and the next thing she knew, she and Harry were on the ground and staring up at the triumphant faces of Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Fred and George.

"Gotcha!" Fred shouted gleefully.

Ginny wrapped her arms around herself, shivering from the cold. She was wet all over, having been on the receiving end of about a hundred snowballs from Hermione, Neville, and her brothers. Harry had also dumped a snowball down her back. The thought of that particular moment made her face heat up. She shivered involuntarily, and not because of the cold.

"I'll cast a Drying Charm when we get to the castle," said Hermione, who was walking beside her.

Harry, Ron, and Neville were walking a few steps ahead of them and Fred and George brought up the rear. The twins were singing 'Jingle Bells', their voices loud and very off-key. Ginny shook her head in amusement at her two brothers and focused on the boys walking in front of her—or rather, focused on just one boy.

Harry's clothes were as wet as Ginny's and he was loudly complaining to Neville, who had dumped a huge pile of snow on her and Harry even when they had already fallen to the ground. Neville answered cheekily, saying he only did it because of Ginny and Harry's 'betrayal'. Harry looked behind him and he caught Ginny's eye, giving her a conspiratorial grin before turning back to face front.

Ginny felt her insides flutter pleasurably at Harry's smile. She was already flushed from their snowball fight, but she felt herself going even redder. Beside her, Hermione was moaning about the quality of her Potions essay conclusion, but Ginny barely heard a word of what the other girl was saying. She stared at Harry's back, biting her lip.

There was no denying it anymore, Ginny thought as they walked up the castle's stone steps. She really did like him. Ginny felt her heart beating rapidly and erratically as the realization hit her—_really_ hit her. She couldn't breathe. And at the same time, she felt a giddy sensation threatening to overwhelm her. She liked him.

_I like him_.

Ginny bit back a giggle. She was awed, surprised, nervous, excited—

She did not really know what she was feeling. All she knew was that she liked him. Harry.

_Harry_.

Hermione began casting drying and warming Charms on everyone as soon as they stepped into the entrance hall. Ginny barely noticed the cold seeping out of her bones or her clothes drying up. She stared at Harry, thinking that the sight of him, laughing at some joke the twins had made, was enough to keep her warm. He caught her eyes and flashed her one of his heart-melting smiles. Unable to help herself, Ginny smiled back, feeling butterflies in her stomach.

Ginny walked right behind Harry as they headed for the Great Hall. She stared unabashedly at his back. She couldn't quite keep the wide grin off her face and it was all she could do not to squeal or burst into a fit of giggles. Liking Harry just made so much sense that the realization had made her incredibly giddy. She thought that if she died right then and there, she could die happy.

About a minute later, Ginny wished she could simply die.

Harry had stopped all of sudden and Ginny, her head still buzzing, bumped right into him. She staggered backwards and was about to ask what was going on when she caught sight of Harry's face. He had stood up straighter and he had a look on his face that made her think he had just been Confunded. Curious, she turned in the direction he was staring at and immediately realized the reason for the sudden change in his demeanor.

Cho Chang and her group of friends were walking towards them. Cho passed them a moment later, giving Harry a fleeting smile before entering the Great Hall. Ginny looked at Harry, her heart sinking. He was not blushing—he was not exactly as prone to that reaction as Weasleys were—but Ginny _knew_. She had known all along, but Harry's reaction to Cho had reminded her. It was like being doused with ice cold water.

Harry liked Cho.

Ginny felt all the warmth escape her body.

He liked _her_.

Ginny wanted to crumple to the ground and scream in frustration.

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7


	12. Snowballing Feelings 3

The clinks of silver utensils against silver plates filled the Great Hall as its hungry occupants enthusiastically ate their lunch. Ginny, however, was picking morosely at the food on her plate. She really could not find the heart to enjoy her lunch.

Harry liked Cho Chang.

Ginny suppressed the childish urge to wail at the top of her lungs or whack her plate against the table. Instead, she settled on stabbing a piece of pork rather fiercely and putting it in her mouth, more to occupy herself than anything else. She chanced a glance at Harry, who was sitting across and two seats to the right. At least he wasn't making lovesick gazes at _her_, but that didn't really make Ginny feel better since the Ravenclaw table was behind him. He would have to turn around to stare at _her_. Well, at least he wasn't making the effort to turn around and gape at Cho Chang.

Ginny chanced another quick glance at Harry. He was talking to Ron and Neville, who were both sitting at her side of the table. It seemed that they hadn't gotten over the fun of their snowball fight that morning and were now discussing strategies for a magical snowball fight.

Ginny turned her attention back to her own plate, using her fork to make a bean roll around her plate. A smile slowly spread across her face as she listened to Harry, who was enumerating a number of spells that he thought would be useful for snowball fights. She could hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he talked about how to combine the spells in order to have, as he said, "an effective offensive and defensive front". Ginny couldn't help but smile fondly at his statement. Only Harry would use those words about a snowball fight. She looked up at him. Judging by his expression, he was half-serious, half-joking—just as she had expected. His green eyes twinkled with excitement and Ginny couldn't help but look forward to their next snowball fight.

She wondered if Harry would shove ice down her back again if they ever had another snowball fight. It had been really nice standing that close to him. She had felt the warmth of his body. Or was it just her blood heating up? And his lips, inches from hers—

Ginny mentally shook herself. What was she thinking? Harry liked Cho. That was pretty obvious. She had no chance. She groaned inwardly and returned to playing with her food.

After a few minutes of frowning at her food, Ginny stole another quick glance at Harry, unable to resist the tug he seemed to have on her eyes. She was about to turn back to her plate when she caught Hermione's knowing gaze. Ginny immediately looked away from Hermione, afraid that the girl would figure everything out just by making eye contact, only to be faced with George's shrewd expression. He was sitting right across Ginny. Next to him, Fred was wearing the exact same expression.

Ginny quickly closed her mouth, which had fallen open. She looked from Fred, to George, to Hermione. Surely, they couldn't possibly know about her feelings for Harry. She had only just figured it out herself!

Ginny ducked her head, panicking. She did not really mind Hermione knowing about it. She would probably confide to the girl anyway, if she wanted to keep her sanity. But Fred and George were a different matter. She remembered the twins finding out about her fancying Oliver Wood. They had been merciless. She had not been able to stay in the same room as Oliver Wood without blushing like a tomato. She did not want that to happen with Harry. She wanted to be able to hang out with him without making a fool of herself. But if Fred and George knew—

But maybe they did not know and she was only being paranoid. She knew that they had always been perceptive when it came to her, but they couldn't possibly know about—

She looked up at her brothers. Their shrewd expressions had been replaced with identical knowing smirks.

_Oh shit!_

Ginny felt her panic rise, but she stared defiantly at her brothers. She was _not_ going to let them get to her.

"_What_?" she asked her brothers testily.

Fred and George continued to smirk at her. Ginny glared at them, putting every silent threat in her expression. A moment later, the twins relented.

"Nothing," the twins said in unison, and then nonchalantly returned to their lunch.

Ginny stared at her brothers for a few more seconds. She couldn't really give them explicit threats. They hadn't done anything wrong and she wasn't sure if they really did know about her crush on Harry. If she talked to them about it, they'd only find out if they didn't know or it would confirm their suspicions if they already did. In the end, she decided that she couldn't do anything about them. She would just have to make sure not to be obvious about her crush on Harry.

Ginny turned to Hermione, who had apparently been paying close attention to Ginny's interaction with her brothers. Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ginny, the knowing expression not leaving her face. Ginny sighed in resignation. Hermione would find out, one way or the other. And it was better if Ginny admitted it to the Hermione than if the older girl would ambush her about it.

"Are you alright, Ginny?" asked Hermione, peering concernedly at Ginny.

It was about an hour after lunch and Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Neville had retired to the common room. Harry, Ron, and Neville were playing a loud game of Exploding Snap near a window while Ginny and Hermione took seats near the fireplace. The boys had invited Ginny and Hermione to play but Hermione had chosen to read a rather large book on magical beings and Ginny had also declined, saying that she was tired. Ginny had spent the last thirty minutes staring at the crackling fire and silently cursing her luck—or lack thereof.

It seemed that she could never pick the right guy to fancy. First there was Sirius, who turned out to be a distant cousin. Then there was Oliver Wood, who probably did not know she existed. She didn't really dwell too much on them, however. Sirius and Oliver were just that—a crush, nothing more. She never really considered either of them seriously. She fancied Sirius because he was handsome and a good singer, and Oliver because he was a really good Quidditch player. She had fancied Dean a bit more, and then he went and got himself a girlfriend. But Dean having a girlfriend did not really bother her as much as Harry liking Cho Chang. When she found out that Dean had gotten a girlfriend, Ginny didn't really feel bad about it. Harry fancying Cho, however, was different—to say that it sucked would be a gross understatement.

"Yeah, I'm fine," lied Ginny, giving Hermione a wide grin.

Ginny's gaze flickered involuntarily to where Harry was sitting with Ron and Neville. Hermione, of course, did not miss the direction where Ginny's eyes had strayed. She closed her book and looked appraisingly at Ginny.

Ginny warily eyed the book on Hermione's lap. Hermione having closed her book could only mean that she did not believe Ginny in the slightest and was not going to stop until she got something out of her. Ginny hoped that Hermione wouldn't ask her about Harry. She was going to tell Hermione everything, but she just wasn't ready to do so at that moment. There was still a part of her that hoped that her feelings for Harry were just an effect of the Yule Ball and they would go away soon. Admitting it to someone else would make it final. And Ginny did not want it to be final—not with Harry fancying Cho Chang.

"What?" asked Ginny, getting uncomfortable by Hermione's probing stare.

"Did something happen at the Ball?" Hermione asked after a moment. Ginny could tell that she was carefully choosing her words.

"Other than you and Ron having a shouting match? No," said Ginny cheekily.

"Did you have fun with Harry?" asked Hermione, ignoring Ginny's comment. "I saw you two dancing."

"Oh yeah, it was fun," said Ginny, her tone offhand. "What about you, did you have fun with Krum?"

"Quite," said Hermione dismissively. "I also saw you with Michael Corner, though. Was Harry okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't he be?" said Ginny, feeling like she was losing the topic-battle with Hermione. "We only came as friends, after all," she added, unable to keep the resentment from her voice.

"Is that what you really wanted?" Hermione asked shrewdly.

Ginny shrugged. She did not feel particularly inclined to admit or deny what it was she really wanted. "So, what were you and Ron fighting about?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

"I didn't see you and Harry towards the end," commented Hermione, ignoring the question directed at her.

"He was mad about Krum, wasn't he?" said Ginny.

Hermione frowned slightly. Whether it was because of Ron or her effort to change the topic, Ginny couldn't be sure. She could tell, however, that Hermione was torn between asking her about Harry and complaining about Ron.

"Where did you and Harry disappear to?" Hermione finally asked.

"We just went out to get some air," said Ginny. Hermione opened her mouth, but Ginny quickly spoke up. "Don't worry, we returned here before curfew," she added, knowing full well that it was not what Hermione wanted to know. "We got here just in time to see you and Ron storm away from each other. What happened?"

Hermione bit her lip. Ginny tried not to grin. She knew she had won. She had asked the right question. She knew that the next words that would come out of Hermione's mouth would be an answer to that question.

"Oh, Ginny," said Hermione, heaving a great sigh of frustration, "Your brother is such a _gigantic_, _immature_…" Hermione trailed off and waved her hands about, obviously trying to come up with a strong enough word to describe Ron.

"Git?" offered Ginny. "Prat? Wart? Prick? J—"

"Pig!" Hermione declared vehemently.

Ginny snorted loudly, prompting Harry, Ron, and Neville to stare curiously at her and Hermione. The three boys soon returned to their game, apparently realizing that they did not want to know—and would probably not understand—what Ginny and Hermione were talking about.

"So, Ron's a pig…" said Ginny, letting her statement hang. There was really nothing new about _that_. She gestured for Hermione to elaborate.

Hermione glanced in Harry, Ron, and Neville's direction. She bit her lip again, seeming like she was hesitating about something. About a moment later, Ginny found herself being forcefully dragged by the arm towards the girls' staircase. She followed Hermione into the third year girls' dormitory, knowing that the older girl did not want anyone else to overhear their conversation. Ginny closed the door behind her as Hermione plopped on a bed and proceeded to recount what had happened after the Yule Ball.

Apparently, Ron had seen Hermione and Viktor Krum saying goodbye in the corridor outside the common room. Ron had not reacted to this and had entered the common room without a backwards glance. When Hermione went inside a minute later, however, she found that he had been waiting for her. Ron had then went on to question Viktor Krum's intentions, asked Hermione why she had gone to the Ball with the Durmstrang Champion, and told her exactly why he didn't think it was a good idea (the phrase 'fraternizing with the enemy' had again come up).

"—I mean, _honestly_!" Hermione said hotly. "He asked me at the last minute, didn't even believe that someone else had asked me before him, _and then_ went ballistic because I went to the Ball with Viktor! Who the bloody hell does he think he is?"

Ginny looked at Hermione in alarm. The older girl had used the word 'bloody', and that could only mean one thing—she was getting seriously pissed.

"A gigantic, immature pig?" Ginny offered lightly, using Hermione's own words in the hopes of curbing her irritation. She did not really mind hearing Hermione's rants about her brother, but Ginny still had some questions which probably would not be answered if she let Hermione continue.

Ginny's attempt seemed to have worked because Hermione visibly calmed down and gave a small smile.

"Yes, a gigantic, immature pig," said Hermione loftily, and Ginny couldn't help but admire her for the air of dignity she always carried no matter what the situation.

Ginny and Hermione looked at each other, and then, for some reason neither of them could understand, they burst into a fit of laughter.

"So," Ginny began after regaining her composure, "You said that Ron saw you and Krum saying goodbye. By 'saying goodbye', did you mean—?"

"No we weren't kissing when he saw us," said Hermione quickly. "He had walked in right after we broke apart," she added quietly, her cheeks taking on a pinkish tinge.

Ginny's mouth fell open. She looked at Hermione, half-thrilled, half-awed. It really shouldn't come as a surprise, but—

_Ron's going to _—

"So, are you and Krum—is he—your _boyfriend_ now?"

Ginny had had some suspicions that Ron saw Hermione as more than a friend (whether Ron himself knew this, she had no idea). Among all her brothers, Ron was the one she was closest to, and she would always root for him. But the thought of Hermione dating someone—a type of relationship which Ginny had no firsthand experience of but always wondered about—Ginny couldn't help but be thrilled for the older girl.

"Well, we haven't really—I don't—he asked if we could meet at the library from time to time."

Ginny almost burst out laughing at Hermione's statement. The library—just the type of place Hermione would meet a boy in. But who was she to talk? She, Ginny, hadn't even kissed a boy.

"So you'll be meeting at the library—from time to time," teased Ginny.

"Yes," said Hermione, her cheeks glowing bright red.

"You'll be getting cozy—"

"Ginny!" said Hermione, apparently trying to sound annoyed, but her smile had given her away. "We're just going to—talk."

"Talk?" said Ginny, smirking. "_Interesting_. Is that code word for—?"

"Ginny!" Hermione cried again, prompting Ginny to burst into another round of laughter.

Hermione huffed in annoyance. "I—" she began, and then paused, apparently at a loss for words to say. "You are such a Weasley, you know that," she said after a moment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ginny, bemused.

"Nothing," Hermione replied dismissively.

A wide grin spread across Ginny's face as a thought came to her mind. "You know," she began, "I've always thought you fancied Ron."

"_What_?" Hermione asked incredulously, though her cheeks had begun coloring rapidly again. "I—I don't know what you mean, Ginny," she added, her eyes darting everywhere around the room.

"Oh, don't play daft, Hermione," said Ginny, and Hermione went even redder. "It doesn't become you," Ginny added jokingly. "I have eyes, you know. And unlike those gits downstairs, I actually use them," she pointed out.

"Well, I like Viktor, too," declared Hermione, not really denying Ginny's assertions. "He's nice, and sweet, and I'm not about to wait for some _immature pig_ to come to his senses," she added with a lot more vehemence than Ginny thought her statement merited.

Ginny grinned at Hermione. She had to hand it to her. The girl had a point. And, judging by her tone of voice, she probably did not want to talk about Ron. Ginny decided to change the topic back to Viktor Krum. She could tell that Hermione enjoyed it better and she had a feeling that if she kept asking about Ron, Hermione would want to ask about Harry.

"So, you kissed _Viktor Krum_," said Ginny, her grin going from ear to ear. "What's it like?"

For the next few minutes, Hermione talked in detail about her kiss with Viktor Krum and how it had made her feel. Ginny listened eagerly, wondering what it would be really like to kiss a boy. When Hermione had finished talking about her very first kiss, she fixed Ginny with a meaningful look. Ginny sat up straight, thinking that Hermione was going to give her an advice of some sort.

"Now, enough about me," Hermione began in a tone that made Ginny dread what she was going to say next. "I know you like Harry," Hermione continued bluntly.

Ginny only blinked, unable to react, as she registered her friend's words. Trust Hermione to lull someone into a false sense of security and then pounce with that kind of statement.

"Er," said Ginny, unable to say anything else. She knew she was already blushing profusely.

Hermione smirked at her. "You didn't think I was going to let it go, did you?" she said cheekily.

_Damn, she's sneaky_!

"Er," Ginny said again. She was turning even redder. Any moment now, she would lose the feeling in her limbs because all her blood had rushed up to her face.

She couldn't really change the subject. That would be too desperate and too obvious and Hermione wouldn't let her. She briefly considered running out of the dormitory, but that was rather childish. She couldn't laugh it off either. And outright denial was out of the question. Hermione already _knew_.

"Couldn't you warn a girl before saying that?" Ginny demanded after a moment.

"Well, it's your own fault you know," Hermione said in an inexplicably know-it-all sort of way. "You shouldn't have kept changing the subject."

Ginny grimaced. Hermione gave her a meaningful look which Ginny took to mean as 'you know I'm right', prompting her to sigh in resignation.

"Well, I don't _really_ like him," said Ginny, wanting to believe herself. "I mean, I think it's just because of the Ball that I'm having these…feelings, you know. I don't—I don't think," she paused, trying to organize her thoughts. "What I'm saying is that I think I'm only having these feelings because we went to the Yule Ball together. It'll go away soon. I don't really like him that way," she finished, vaguely aware of the fact that she was being repetitive.

"I don't know who you're trying to convince, Ginny, but you're not fooling me," Hermione said sagely.

"_What_? No, I really don't—"

"I think you've liked him way before the Yule Ball," Hermione said knowingly, cutting off Ginny's denials.

"What? What makes you say that?" asked Ginny, feeling both curious and incredulous. She never really thought about when she had started liking Harry. All she knew was that she started seeing him differently during the Yule Ball. She wondered why Hermione thought that she, Ginny, had liked Harry before the ball. And she wondered how Hermione could have figured it out before she did.

"I started suspecting around the week of the First Task, actually," replied Hermione. "Ever since you started flying with Harry, almost all our conversations were about him. You couldn't stop talking about him—"

_I couldn't_?

"Yes, you couldn't," confirmed Hermione, who caught Ginny's incredulous expression. "There was even this one time when you asked me what his favorite color was," she added in an amused tone.

Ginny turned red with embarrassment. What a stupid thing to ask. Of course, Hermione would suspect.

"And then," continued Hermione, "You kept asking me who he was taking to the ball _then_ turned him down when he asked you—"

"I didn't—"

"Yes you did, Ginny—at first," Hermione said pointedly. "You told him to ask Cho Chang first. And for me, that was the biggest proof. If you didn't like him, you probably would've agreed right away and not worried whether he'd regret going with you instead of Cho. But, to be honest, I only just suspected it then," added Hermione. "I got my confirmation this morning when you didn't look too happy when we ran into Cho in the Entrance Hall. One second, you looked like you were on cloud nine, the next, you just sort of deflated. And then at lunch, you kept glancing at him."

Ginny bit her lip, her forehead creasing into a thoughtful frown. Trust Hermione to figure things out before she did—even if it had been her own feelings that were involved. But had she really liked Harry even before the Yule Ball? And this morning, was she really that obvious? She knew Hermione had noticed, but so had Fred and George. What if the others had noticed too?

"Don't worry," Hermione said with a reassuring smile, as though she had read Ginny's thoughts. "The gits downstairs didn't notice. Those three are the thickest boys in Hogwarts, after all. Well, maybe not Neville," she added. "But he doesn't know you well enough."

Ginny thought Hermione was right—she didn't think the girl had ever been wrong—but it gave her little comfort.

"What about Fred and George though," said Ginny. "Do you think they noticed?"

"Oh, they noticed alright," said Hermione. "I don't think you can be a successful prankster without at least being mindful of things around you," she added thoughtfully.

Ginny grimaced at Hermione's comment. She was right—as always. But that particular observation didn't really help.

"But I think they're only suspecting it," continued Hermione. "They don't really _know_. I'd advise you not to let your brothers get to you."

"I know," agreed Ginny. "I can still remember them teasing me about Oliver Wood in my first year. That was—_mortifying_."

Hermione smiled sympathetically at Ginny. "What are you going to do about Harry?" she asked.

"Nothing, really," Ginny said after a moment's thought. "I mean, what _can_ I do?"

"You're not going to tell him?"

"_What_?" Ginny exclaimed incredulously. "No! Of course not. He likes Cho, remember," she added pointedly. "I'd have to be mental to tell him I like him."

Hermione smiled understandingly then gave Ginny a thoughtful look. She opened her mouth to say something, but apparently thought better of it.

"What?" asked Ginny.

"Just—don't go avoiding him, okay?" Hermione said after a moment. "That's never a good idea."

The idea had come to Ginny's mind during lunchtime, but she had immediately dismissed it. She still wanted to hang out with Harry.

"I won't," Ginny said stoutly.

"Good," said Hermione, smiling.

Ginny smiled back. She had a feeling that Hermione understood her situation perfectly well. After all, Ron, like Harry, was as thick as snow on the ground on Christmas day.


	13. Snowballing Feelings 4

Christmas holidays passed enjoyably for Harry in spite of the raging blizzard that arrived on the week after the Yule Ball. The snowstorm had kept everyone indoors, but that hadn't stopped Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ginny from having their fun. It was Harry's first time spending the holidays away from home, but his friends' company kept him from being homesick. It was a nice change from his busy school schedules or his holidays at home where his mum would nag him into 'doing something productive'.

Harry, Ron, Neville, and Ginny always woke up late, taking advantage of the lack of classes to go to. Hermione kept to her usual waking time and would wait for everyone else at the common room with her head buried in a book. They all had their meals together, except for breakfast when someone (mostly Ginny) would decide that sleeping in was more enjoyable than eating, in which case everyone else would go ahead without them but would bring back food if they hadn't caught up after breakfast had ended. Between meals, they spent their time in the warmth of the Gryffindor common room playing Exploding Snap, Wizard's Chess, Gobstones, and anything else they could think of.

Hermione, of course, wasn't satisfied with just playing games and she kept nagging everyone else to do their homework. Nobody really liked doing their written assignments, but Hermione easily convinced everyone to practice with the spells they had learned during the previous term. Ginny had taken an interest to the dueling spells that Harry and Neville learned from their parents. She asked them to demonstrate some of the spells and before the week was up, she, Ron, and Hermione had mastered the Shield Charm and the Stunning Spell. Ginny also decided to learn some of the spells the fourth years were practicing. Harry observed that she was really good with Charms and Defense spells. She even got better than everyone at Summoning Charms and had taken to using the spell every time she wanted to retrieve something. This prompted a summoning competition between her and Harry, which immediately ended when Harry summoned his Firebolt from his dormitory and hit Seamus Finnegan, causing him to trip down the last three steps of the boys' staircase. Fortunately, Seamus did not sustain any injuries and Hermione was not around to tell Harry off.

It was one of the few times when Hermione left them to go to the library—times which Ron loudly pointed out. While this was nothing new in itself, it surprised Harry that she did not force anyone else to go with her. What was even more puzzling were Ginny's teasing smirks at Hermione, and the warning glares Hermione gave her in return. Harry was only too happy at not being nagged to go to the library so he did not read any further into Hermione and Ginny's interaction, brushing it off as one of those 'girl things'. Ron, however, was very interested in Hermione's affairs. He did not stop pestering her until she told everyone that she was going to the library to research about house-elves.

When they were not playing games, practicing spells, or in Hermione's case, researching about house-elves, they spent their time relaxing in front of the fire and talking about everything and nothing in particular. Mostly, their conversations were about Quidditch (which annoyed Hermione), but there were also times when they just talked about themselves. Harry learned a lot of things about his friends which he hadn't known before, even Neville, whom he knew way before they started Hogwarts. Ron and Ginny talked about their childhood, usually telling embarrassing stories about each other, much to everyone else's amusement. Hermione talked about growing up as a Muggle while Neville talked about growing up in a very old-fashioned pureblood family (the Potters and the Weasleys had long ago stopped practicing many of the old Wizarding traditions). Harry, for his part, talked about his 'adventures' while visiting his snotty Muggle relatives, most of which ended with his stuck-up cousin being the victim of Harry's pranks or accidental magic.

The disagreeable weather considerably calmed down on the Saturday before the start of the new term, allowing everyone to enjoy a beautiful day outside of the castle. Harry, Ron, and Neville were relaxing in the courtyard when Fred and George approached them and suggested a pick-up game of Quidditch. Harry and Ron immediately agreed, and Neville decided to go with them to watch. Hermione and Ginny had disappeared to Merlin- knew-where so Harry, who wanted Ginny to join, told the others to go ahead to the Quidditch pitch without him. With the help of the Marauder's Map, he found Hermione and Ginny at the library, chatting about things he was sure he would not understand.

Harry told Ginny about the Quidditch game. She hesitated at first, and he could tell it was because of the fact that her brothers might make a big deal out of it. In the end, however, she decided that her brothers could "stuff it" if they ever objected and she and Harry went to the pitch together. They also convinced Hermione to come with them to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. Hermione agreed, bringing a rather large book about magical beings with her.

When they got to the Quidditch pitch, Harry saw that a lot of people had gotten there ahead of them. It seemed that many students shared the same idea of hanging out at the pitch that afternoon. Several groups of students were sitting on the stands, chatting happily under the winter sun. A group of Ravenclaws were already up in the air, playing a three-on-three Quaffle-only game. Dean, Seamus, and Neville were having a football kick-about on the pitch's ground. They had cleared a portion of the pitch from snow and it was obvious that Dean was teaching the other two boys how to kick a football. Harry glanced sideways at Ginny, remembering that she fancied Dean. She did not seem to be affected by Dean's presence.

Ron, Fred, and George were standing at the edge of the pitch, looking sullenly at the flying Ravenclaws. Harry and Ginny approached them while Hermione made her way to the stands.

"They've beaten us to the pitch," Ron, who was holding the Weasleys' Quaffle under his arms, pointed out unnecessarily as Harry and Ginny reached them.

"Why don't we just ask them to share," suggested Ginny, sounding like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it probably was except that Harry or any of her brothers did not really feel like 'asking'. It seemed too familiar.

"You playing too, Gin?" asked Fred, sounding pleasantly surprised.

"Is that a Nimbus you're holding?" asked George, pointing to the broom in Ginny's hand.

"It's Harry's, he loaned it to her," said Ron helpfully.

"You don't say?" exclaimed Fred. Harry wasn't sure if he liked the gleeful smirk spreading across Fred's face.

"What'd you do to get him to loan it to you?" asked George, his grin a perfect copy of his twin's.

"Bribery, maybe?" suggested Fred.

"Nah, Ginny's broke and Harry's got loads of Galleons," George told his twin. For some reason, this made Ron's ears turn red.

"There are other forms of bribery, brother dearest," Fred pointed out.

"True, true—but you don't think Ginny would resort to _that_, would you?"

"No, I guess not," Fred said, giving his twin an acquiescing nod. "We had the same mother, after all."

"And even if she did, Harry here would be too noble to accept it," said George, heartily clapping Harry's back.

Harry smiled unsurely, feeling that he had long lost the thread of the conversation. Ron was looking as bewildered as he felt but Ginny was glaring daggers at the twins, who did not seem to notice.

"What about blackmail, then?" Fred asked his twin.

"Ah, you could be right, my handsome brother," said George. Fred bowed his head in a perfect imitation of Lucius Malfoy at his twin's compliment. "That does sound like our dearest sister to threaten—"

"Threatening!" exclaimed Fred.

"Ah, of course," George said in comprehension, though it seemed that he was the only who had understood. "You must have used spells on him," he told Ginny. "Or, dare I say—"

"_Charms_," Fred and George said together, their eyes widening meaningfully—though the meaning was totally lost on Harry.

Ginny's cheeks had flushed with anger and she drew her wand from her pocket, pointing it at the twins.

"Shut it, or I'll demonstrate a particular charm to you," she said, the casualness in her voice belying the threat in her statement. "Or dare I say, _hex_."

Fred and George smiled slightly. Harry thought that they would either be very brave or very foolish if they continued with their senseless banter. Seconds later, the twins wisely held up their hands in surrender, but Ginny continued to point her wand at them.

"So, are we going to ask the Ravenclaws to share the pitch?" Ron asked after a moment.

Ginny finally pocketed her wand. She glared at Fred and George, obviously deciding whether she still wanted to play with them or not. Harry suddenly felt annoyed at the twins. It would be their fault if Ginny decided not to join.

"I'll go ask them," Ginny said in a calm voice after what seemed like hours.

Fred and George breathed a sigh of relief as Ginny walked to the pitch and hailed one of the Ravenclaws.

"That was close," Ron commented casually.

"Yeah," Fred and George said in unison.

Harry smirked at the twins. "Wish she'd hexed you, though," he admitted. "I haven't seen her Bat-Bogey Hex before."

"And you better avoid it for as long as you can," advised George.

"Although," said Fred, his gleeful smirk returning, "With that Nimbus, she'll probably give you some leeway."

Harry frowned at the twins. He glanced at Ginny. She was still talking to the Ravenclaws.

"I loaned the Nimbus to her because she really loves flying," he told Fred and George seriously. "She didn't ask me for it. And if you've seen her fly, you'll understand why I did it."

"Is she any good?" asked Fred.

"She could play for the team," Harry said surely.

"Really?" said George, sounding as pleasantly surprised as Fred was a while ago. "We know she can ride a broom—but is she really that good?"

"Yes."

"Wait—how'd _you_ know?" asked George.

"They've been flying every Saturday last term," Ron replied with a slight tone of envy in his voice. He hadn't been able to join Harry and Ginny because he either got caught up in detentions or arguments with Hermione—mostly arguments with Hermione.

"Ah, that must be it," George said knowingly.

"Yeah," said Fred, adapting the same tone as his twin. "No wonder."

"Especially after—"

"I know."

"But does she really—?"

"I think so."

"Are you sure?"

"We'll find out soon enough."

Harry was about to ask the twins what they were going on about when Ginny walked back to them. She shot Fred and George a dirty look before speaking.

"They've agreed to let us use that half," she said, pointing to the northern part of the Quidditch pitch. Harry could see that the Ravenclaws were already flying just over the southern half. "I suggested a five-on-six game but they weren't too keen on it. Just as well, a Quaffle-only game with that many players would be too boring. And we don't have Bludgers or a Snitch," she added with a smirk at Harry.

Harry knew what she was thinking about. During their '_Accio_ competition', Ginny had successfully summoned his Golden Snitch. He had summoned it from her, but instead of flying into his outstretched hand, the small golden ball had flown right past him and into the crackling fire.

"Okay," said Ron. "How're we going to divide the teams? Two-on-three? Or should someone sit it out?"

"I can sit it out," Harry hastily volunteered. He would not put it past Ginny's brothers to make her sit the game out. He was pretty sure that she would not be too happy about it, especially as she had been the one who asked the Ravenclaws to let them use one half of the pitch.

"Don't be silly," said Ginny. "If anyone should sit it out, it should be one of you," she added, looking at the twins. She was clearly still annoyed with them for whatever it was they were talking about.

"Not a chance Gin," George said easily. "_We're_ the ones who suggested this in the first place."

Ginny started to open her mouth but Ron cut her off.

"We can just play two-on-three," he suggested in a rare effort to keep the peace.

"Or…" said Fred, and he whipped around and marched towards the stands.

"Where's he going?" Ron asked incredulously. "Is he actually volunteering to sit this out?"

"Duh," said George. "Use your eyes, would you?"

George pointed towards the group of students that his twin had approached. Harry saw that the group consisted of some of the twins' classmates. Fred was talking to Angelina Johnson, obviously trying to convince her to join the game. A moment later, Fred ran back to retrieve his broom, mounted it, and sped towards Gryffindor tower. He came back after a few minutes with Angelina's broom. Only then did Angelina leave her classmates and joined Harry and the others.

They divided themselves with Harry, Ron, and Ginny on one team and Fred, George, and Angelina on another. George then suggested that their group play with no shirts on so that "they could identify their teammates". This earned him a thumbs-up from Fred, after which Angelina smacked the twins sharply on the back of the head.

After a quick discussion about the rules and point system, all six of them mounted their brooms and kicked off towards their half of the Quidditch pitch. A couple of minutes later, Ginny succeeded in putting gobsmacked expressions on her brothers' faces as she demonstrated her talent on a broom. She flew as well as everyone, maybe even better than some, and her goal-scoring was matched only by Angelina. Fred, George, and even Ron, who already knew about Ginny's skills through Harry, kept exclaiming their surprise and amazement. It was pretty obvious that they were quite proud of their little sister, especially Fred and George, both of whom looked like their birthdays had come early. Harry had a feeling that they were proud of Ginny not only for her remarkable flying skills, but also for the fact that she had kept it from them for so long.

Ginny couldn't quite keep a smug grin from spreading across her face at her brothers' reactions. And even though she feigned annoyance whenever the twins exclaimed "We are not worthy!" every time she made a goal, Harry could tell that she was pleased that her brothers were proud, and not angry, of the fact that she could fly as well as they could. It was clear that she was immensely enjoying the game, and Harry suddenly realized why. Even though she had been flying since she was a kid, and even though she and Harry went flying every Saturday during the previous term, this was the very first time that Ginny had played in a competitive Quidditch game. Her brothers had never invited her to play with them before, a fact which puzzled (and slightly irritated) Harry now that he came to think of it. Judging from the Weasley boys' reactions, however, Harry was sure that they had no intentions of leaving her out in future pick-up matches.

Harry thought that inviting Ginny to join them was the best thing he had done that Christmas. He felt oddly proud as he watched her maneuver around the pitch and fly circles around Fred and George. He had never doubted her abilities in handling the Quaffle, but seeing Ginny now in an actual game, Harry realized that he had never seen how brilliant she truly was.

"Why am I suddenly fearing for my position on the team?" Angelina had commented good-naturedly as Ginny made her tenth goal, tying the two teams' scores.

Harry grinned proudly at Ginny and gave her a thumbs-up. She flushed, probably due to Angelina's comment, returned Harry's grin, and sped after George as he caught the Quaffle his twin had just passed him.

It was an evenly paced game, and the teams were reasonably well-matched. Fred, George, and Angelina had more experience working together (they'd been on the Gryffindor team since their second year), but Harry's team made up for it through his unmatched flying skills, Ginny's innovative Quaffle tricks which even Angelina didn't know of, and Ron's uncanny knack of being right in front of the goal hoops every time the other team tried to make a goal.

Harry had just scored his fourth goal, giving their team a one-point lead, when Ron elbowed him and pointed towards the Ravenclaws playing on the other half of the pitch. Harry turned around and grinned as he realized who had just arrived. He watched as Cho Chang took off on her Comet 260 and joined her friends in the air.

"Well, well, well," said Fred teasingly. "If it isn't the Ravenclaw team's prettiest member."

Harry tore his gaze away from Cho and turned his attention to his friends. It was clear that Ron's actions had not gone unnoticed by the others (subtlety had never been his strongest point). Harry felt a faint blush creep up his cheeks as everyone looked at him with smirks of varying broadness. Fred and George looked like they were preparing to take the mickey, Ron was grinning from ear to ear, and even Angelina, whom Harry was never really close to, was smiling knowingly at him. In fact, the only person who wasn't grinning was Ginny. She was looking at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Shall we ask her to join us, Harry?" suggested George, his tone matching the gleeful smirk that was plastered across his face.

"Angie knows her, she can ask her for you," offered Fred.

"Don't spout nonsense, you two," said Ron.

_Thank you, Ron_.

"Harry wants to join _them_," continued Ron, his smirk matching the twins'. "Don't you, Harry?"

_Or not_.

"Why," began Fred, "I think that observation's spot on, Ronniekins."

"And oh, look at that," said George, pointing gleefully at the Ravenclaws. "They're one player short."

"I'd join them—"

"Take the opportunity—"

"Show off my flying talents—"

"Come on, she's going out with Cedric Diggory," Harry finally said, surprising himself by how easily it had come out.

"Ah, but they're not married, are they?" said George.

"Wouldn't stop me," said Fred.

"No, it wouldn't," agreed George.

Harry rolled his eyes at the twins. "Are we going to continue playing, or are you going to tease me all afternoon?" he said. "You're not stalling 'cause we're winning, are you?"

George opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it, apparently changing his mind. "You're learning," he said with a conceding smile, probably referring to Harry's reactions to his and Fred's ribbing.

"And I hardly call being one point ahead 'winning'," Fred pointed out. He passed the Quaffle he'd been holding under his arm to Angelina, and with that, the game continued as though it had never been interrupted.

Despite the casual way he had handled the twins' teasing, however, Harry couldn't quite ignore the fact that Cho was playing right at the other side of the pitch. He had gotten distracted enough that Fred was able to steal the Quaffle from his grip and he had missed a fairly easy shot. He was able to pick up his game towards the end of the match, but Fred, George, and Angelina still won with a three-point advantage.

"Sorry guys," Harry said to Ron and Ginny as they landed right next to where Hermione was sitting.

"S'alright, mate," said Ron. "It was just a game anyway."

"We should make sure to take Cho Chang out first in our next match against Ravenclaw," George suggested to Fred. "Remove the distraction," he added with a teasing smirk in Harry's direction.

"_Or_, we should place bets on our next game, make sure we play against Harry, and have Cho Chang watch," said Fred.

"Fred, that's devious!" exclaimed George. "Brilliant, but devious."

Fred bowed grandly at his twin. Harry shook his head and tried to ignore the both of them. Unable to help himself, he looked up and watched Cho as she flew with her friends.

"Listen, I'm going back inside," Ginny said with a sigh. "I'll see you guys later."

Harry tore his gaze away from Cho and watched as Ginny turned on her heel and walked away from them. He hadn't seen her face properly, but he thought she didn't look too happy. Or maybe he was just imagining it.

"Was she mad at me?" asked Harry. He was pretty sure it was his fault they had lost. But like Ron had said, it was just a game, and it seemed too trivial a matter for Ginny to get worked up over.

"Dunno," said Ron, shrugging.

Harry turned to look questioningly at Hermione, but she only gave him a stern look over the huge book on her lap. He looked at Fred and George, who were still staring after Ginny's retreating back with uncharacteristically shrewd expressions on their faces.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Gred?" George said after a moment.

"I reckon so, Forge," said Fred.

"Seems like we're right, after all—"

"She's bitten—"

"By the bug—"

"If that wasn't a—"

"Alright, that's enough, you two," said Angelina, sounding thoroughly exasperated and wearing an expression that reminded Harry forcefully of Hermione or Mrs. Weasley. "Quit meddling."

And with that, she stood between the twins and dragged them away by the ears, ignoring their cries of protest.

"What was that about?" asked Harry, feeling, not for the first time that afternoon, that he'd totally lost the thread of Fred and George's conversation.

"Haven't the foggiest," replied Ron.

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7


	14. Snowballing Feelings 5

Ginny was not proud of what she had done. Walking out was not her thing. She had always preferred to take things head on. But she just couldn't stay _there_ any longer. Not with Harry gaping like a moron at Cho Chang. A small part of her knew that she was behaving childishly. Another part worried about what the others might think of her behavior. But she really couldn't bring herself to care.

Why did Cho Chang have to turn up anyway? Why couldn't she just go snog her own boyfriend? And Harry, why couldn't he just get it into his head that Cho Chang was dating Cedric Diggory? How could he still like her? She liked someone else!

_Harry likes Cho Chang, yet you still like him_, the annoying voice in her head pointed out. She ignored it.

_What is it with Cho Chang anyway?_

And her stupid brothers! Teasing him about _her_—encouraging him. The idiots! And George had to make that comment about Cho and Cedric not being married. How dare he? If she hadn't told herself not to let the twins get to her, and if Angelina hadn't been around, she'd have asked George if that was what he thought about Fred and Angelina too. That would have shown him.

She tried to squash the hurt that was bubbling within her. She had really thought that Harry was starting to get over Cho Chang. She had started hoping that maybe, just maybe, he could start liking her, Ginny. They'd had so much fun that week. They'd played together, done homework together, practiced spells together, talked and laughed together—but obviously that wasn't enough. Obviously, she'd been wrong to hope. What a foolish mistake to make.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid_—

Ginny started, taking in her surroundings. She was standing right in front of the library. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she had not noticed where her feet had taken her. She stared at the library's double doors, wondering what to do. A second later, she decided to go in. The library was the last place Harry would visit on a beautiful afternoon such as that one and she had no intentions of seeing him right at that moment.

She entered the library with Madam Pince scowling at her and at the Nimbus she was still carrying. There were no rules against bringing a broom into the library, so she knew she was okay. She ignored the librarian's disapproving expression and made her way to a corner of the library, where the nearby window presented a view of the Forbidden Forest.

Ginny wondered why Hermione had not followed her. Maybe Hermione did not want to raise Fred and George's suspicions. Or maybe she knew that Ginny did not want to talk just yet. Whatever Hermione's reasons were, Ginny was glad that Hermione wasn't there. Not that she did not appreciate the older girl, she had not been joking when she told Harry—_Harry_—that Hermione was like a sister to her. She just wanted to be alone with her thoughts right at that moment. So of course, someone just had to interrupt her.

"Ginny?" a vaguely familiar voice called her back to reality.

Ginny tore her eyes away from the snowcapped trees of the Forbidden Forest and turned to see Michael Corner standing right in front of her. He was grinning widely, a couple of books clutched in his hand.

"Michael!" she exclaimed in surprise. She hadn't spoken to him since the Yule Ball. He had been rather nice then, not to mention funny and a good dancer. "Hi," she added, smiling half-heartedly at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, and then looked pointedly out the window, obviously wondering why she wasn't outside and enjoying the weather.

"Oh, you know…"

_Harry_.

"Sulking?" he asked jokingly, his head cocked to one side as he smiled at her.

"No," she said flatly.

"Yes, you are," he said. "Your face was going like this—"

Michael Corner brought his eyebrows together in what he obviously thought was Ginny's 'sulking' face. He looked so ridiculous that she just had to let out a small chuckle in spite of herself.

"Got you to smile, didn't I?" he said, looking quite pleased with himself.

Ginny rolled her eyes, but allowed herself a small smile.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked, surprising herself with the fact that she genuinely wanted to know the answer to that question.

Michael held out the books he was carrying. "Potions," he said ruefully. "I've put everything off at the last minute and now I'm stuck here," he added with a longing look at the school grounds.

Ginny chuckled. She also wasn't halfway through her written assignments. She still had three essays to do. The difference between her and Michael was that she still chose to enjoy the beautiful day outside. Well, it had been enjoyable before Cho Chang decided to show up at the pitch.

"I thought Ravenclaws never put homework off," she commented, shaking off her unpleasant thoughts about a certain Ravenclaw Seeker.

"That's a stereotype, if I've ever heard one," Michael pointed out.

Ginny had the grace to be embarrassed, but she said, "No worse than saying all Gryffindors are foolhardy."

"All Gryffindors _are_ foolhardy."

"No we're _not_," she said defiantly, thinking of Hermione, Percy, Neville, and a few others. It escaped her notice that she was not on that list.

Michael raised his hands up. "Alright, alright, I did not come here to argue with you about House traits," he said, making Ginny wonder what he had approached her for. He fell silent for a moment, then said, "Mind if I sit here?"

_Sort of_.

"No, go ahead," Ginny heard herself say.

"Thanks," Michael said happily, taking the seat opposite Ginny.

He laid his books on the table but made no motion of opening them. Instead, he rested his arms on them and fixed his gaze on her. Ginny looked away, blushing slightly, uncomfortable with the attention he was giving her.

"Looks like Pince is not too happy with you bringing that broom inside," Michael said after a moment, nodding towards the librarian. He had obviously been casting around for a topic.

Ginny turned around and saw that Madam Pince was still scowling at the Nimbus. She turned back to Michael, rolling her eyes.

"There are no rules against it," she told him. "Although," she added, "I wouldn't put it past her to make a new one up."

Michael chuckled appreciatively. "You play Quidditch, then?" he asked her.

"Yeah," Ginny replied pleasantly.

"What position?"

"Chaser. Do you play?"

"Nah," Michael said offhandedly. "I mean, I can fly, but I'm not as good as the players on the Quidditch teams. Are you good?"

Ginny didn't know the answer to this question. Michael was smirking knowingly at her. She decided to go with the truth—or at least what she thought was the truth.

"I think so," she replied, not in a bragging way. She suddenly remembered that Harry thought that she was good too. He even said once that she could play for the Gryffindor team. It brought a smile to her lips.

"I'll take your word for it then," Michael said easily. "So, what's your team?"

* * *

"Please, Hermione," wheedled Ginny.

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading. "Are you going to share it with your classmates?" she asked suspiciously.

"No," Ginny lied without a moment's hesitation.

"Then, no," said Hermione, turning back to her book.

"Well, yes then."

"Still no."

"But—"

"I said _no_, Ginny."

"It's only History of Magic."

"I'll have you know," began Hermione, eyeing Ginny sternly, "that History of Magic is just as important as every other Hogwarts subject."

_No it isn't!_

"Come on," Ginny said out loud. "You know I don't normally ask you for this, but I still have those Potions and Charms essays to do, not to mention Transfiguration. I haven't got the time to do all four before Monday."

"Well, you would've had the time if you started with them during the holidays," argued Hermione. "It's not my fault you put everything off until the last minute."

"You let them read your homework," protested Ginny, pointing at Harry and Ron (she didn't know where Neville was), who were looking at her and Hermione with amused expressions on their faces.

Hermione said, "I do not!" at the same time as Ron exclaimed, "No, she doesn't!" and Harry said, "Hey, don't involve us in this."

"I read over their essays _after_ they're done writing them," said Hermione. Ron nodded fervently beside her. "Now, why don't you start with your essays and I'll read through them when you're done," she added in a final tone.

"Oh, fine," Ginny said with a stubborn huff.

Harry, who was sitting on Hermione's other side, started chuckling softly. "Told you it wouldn't work," he told Ginny in a mirthful tone, his green eyes twinkling.

Ginny felt her stomach swoop and her legs go weak, but she kept her calm. "Worth a try," she said with a casual shrug. "Thank you so much for your help, Hermione," she added sarcastically.

"You're very welcome, Ginny," Hermione said cheerfully.

Ginny playfully stuck her tongue out at the older girl before heading to the other side of the common room, where her friends Kimberly, Sarah, and Edmund had taken seats around a small table.

Kimberly was flipping idly through a Muggle music magazine, ignoring the stack of books she had piled on the table in front of her. Kim's father was a Muggle so she was exposed to the non-magical world. She was a huge music lover, and especially loved Muggle songs. She would tell anyone who listened that Muggle songs were way better than the ones written by Wizards ("excepting Sirius' music, of course," Kim would always say). She was a huge fan of Sirius and had hounded Ginny for days to get an autograph for her when she found out that Ginny knew Sirius personally. Kim was quite serious when it came to music. She was even a member of two bands: a Muggle one from back at her hometown and a group she had formed with a couple of Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw the previous year. She was also a member of Sonorus, Hogwarts' singing club. Kim could play a number of musical instruments and had a great voice—a talent which Ginny was severely lacking.

Sarah and Edmund were pouring over _Standard Book of Spells: Grade Three_. They were sitting very close together, their heads almost touching. The pair had known each other since they were children, their two families being quite close. As far as Ginny knew, Sarah and Edmund weren't together as a couple but from the way they interact with each other, they might as well be. She could tell that it would only be a matter of time before they became official. They were practically attached to the hip and were so close that if they were hanging out with a third person, that third person would almost always feel left out.

"No luck, huh?" Kim said when Ginny sat beside her.

"Nah," Ginny replied lightly. She wasn't really counting on Hermione to let her borrow the essay she'd written for Binns last year, but it _was _worth a try (and she got to talk with Harry, even for a few minutes).

Sarah and Edmund looked up from their book. "Shall we go to the library then?" Sarah suggested unenthusiastically.

"Well, no choice," said Ginny. She stood up and slung her book bag over her shoulders.

"Oi Colin, mate," called Edmund. Colin, who was obsessed with taking pictures, was standing by the fireplace and pointing his camera at the crackling flames (of all things). "We're going to the library now," Edmund told Colin. "You coming?"

"Yeah, hang on," replied Colin.

Colin put his camera in his bag and hurried after Ginny and the others as they walked towards the portrait hole. Ginny narrowed her eyes mockingly at Hermione as she passed, but Hermione only waved cheerfully. Harry grinned widely at Ginny, and she couldn't help but smile back. Throughout the entire walk to the library, his heart-melting smile and his brilliant green eyes were all she could think of.

"No brooms allowed inside," Colin said loudly, pulling Ginny away from her daydreams.

Ginny looked up and followed Colin's gaze to a sign that was pinned to the bulletin board next to the library's entrance.

"Who would bring a broom inside, anyway?" Colin asked no one in particular before entering the library.

Ginny snorted at Colin's comment and followed him into the library. The two of them, along with Kim, sat at a small table by the window. Sarah and Edmund, as usual, chose a separate table. All her friends went to check out some library books while Ginny stayed to keep an eye on their things.

Ginny looked out the window, focusing her attention on the blinding whiteness outside the castle. The raging blizzard which had let up on the last weekend of the holidays had come back with a vengeance at the start of the second term. It was already the first Saturday since the start of term and still, the blizzard had shown no signs of ceasing. It prevented her from flying at the pitch with Harry that afternoon, lest they get blown away towards the Forbidden Forest. Ginny still couldn't decide whether this was a good thing or not. On the one hand, she really wanted to hang out with Harry. On the other, she was afraid that she would make a fool of herself around him. It was one thing to hang out with him at the common room when Ron, Hermione and Neville were with them and they were surrounded by a lot of people and completely another to fly with him at the pitch where they would be alone, just the two of them. And even if she didn't embarrass herself, she was afraid that Cho Chang might turn up again and Harry would start gaping at _her_. Ginny didn't want to see that.

Ginny blinked, shaking unpleasant thoughts away. She turned her attention back to the view outside the window. Directly below, she could make out the rectangular outlines of the greenhouses while up ahead were the white, cloud-like tops of the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Further along the edge of the forest and almost out of sight stood Hagrid's hut, unrelenting to the blizzard going on outside.

A frown crossed Ginny's face as she remembered the Monday issue of the _Daily Prophet_, which contained an article about Hagrid. Rita Skeeter, a reporter who made her way up the proverbial ladder through scandal rather than talent, had written that Hagrid was a half-giant. Ginny already knew about this since Ron had overheard a conversation between Hagrid and Madam Maxime where Hagrid had told the Beauxbatons Headmistress that he was a half-giant. But, while the article's claim of Hagrid's lineage was true, everything else was trash bin material. Ginny saw no reason in announcing Hagrid's lineage to the entire world, and making it seem like a crime was simply unjust and ignorant. Hagrid was nothing like the person Skeeter had made him appear to be. He was a great softy. Skeeter had no reason for writing that article about him. She had been assigned to cover the Triwizard Tournament, not the personal lives of Hogwarts' staff. The keyword, of course, was 'assign_ed_'. Dumbledore had banned Skeeter from Hogwarts for publishing fake stories about the Triwizard Champions. So, as Hermione kept reminding anyone who would listen, the question was: How did Rita Skeeter get into Hogwarts?

"So is this your favorite corner in the library?" an amused voiced interrupted her thoughts.

Ginny pushed her musings about Rita Skeeter aside (Hermione would figure it out anyway) and turned to face the speaker. It was Michael Corner, standing right in front of her. She smiled, recognizing the familiarity of the situation.

"Hello, Michael," she greeted pleasantly.

"Hi," replied Michael, and without waiting for an invitation, he took the seat across from her.

Looking around, Ginny realized that her friends had returned with a number of library books. Sarah and Edmund were sitting at the table they had chosen earlier. They gave Ginny teasing smirks when she caught their eye. Kim and Colin had taken seats at another table ("the traitors," Ginny thought vindictively), effectively leaving her with Michael Corner, and were sniggering quietly to themselves. Ginny glared at her friends before turning back to Michael.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing homework?" asked Michael, raising an amused eyebrow and looking pointedly at the empty table.

Ginny gave him a resigned grimace. She grabbed her bag from the floor and took out her school books, a quill and an ink bottle, and several rolls of parchment. She put the items on the table and frowned at them, blowing an annoying lock of hair out of her face.

"I guess we can safely say that _you_ always put homework off until the last minute," Michael said with a teasing smirk.

Ginny gave him a slightly sheepish smile but did not say anything in reply. She grabbed her History of Magic book and opened it to the assigned chapter. She honestly did not know what to say to him. They had not known each other long enough and while Ginny had a knack of making quick friends with just about anyone (except perhaps Slytherins), the extra attention he seemed to give her made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She had no idea why he kept seeking her out—

Well, okay, maybe she did have an idea. But she was not about to encourage him. He was nice enough though, and she saw no reason to turn him away.

"You know what they say about Binns?" Michael asked after Ginny had read the same boring, and incredibly confusing, paragraph on her book for about the fifth time.

"What?" she asked, welcoming his distraction.

"They say he only reads the introduction and the conclusion," he replied. "You can write anything in between—nonsense stuff, insults, anything! And he won't know, he won't read it."

"Really?" asked Ginny hopefully.

"That's what they say," said Michael, shrugging. "But I don't know if it's true. I haven't really dared to pass an essay that only has an introduction and a conclusion then nonsense in between."

Ginny smirked at Michael. "Well," she began mischievously, "Let's find out, shall we?"

"What—?"

Ginny waved her hand nonchalantly and turned back to her History of Magic book with more enthusiasm than she had a while ago. Several minutes later, she already had a conclusion drafted and an introduction written on a clean roll of parchment. She gave Michael a smug grin and then began writing a detailed comparison of Europe's Quidditch teams after the introduction.

Michael stared at her in disbelief.

"You're doing it," he said after a moment. And then, "You're _actually_ doing it." And finally, "You're _really_ doing it."

Ginny ignored him and kept on writing, detailing the reasons why she thought the Holyhead Harpies were the best team in the European League. Michael recovered soon enough, however, and began offering his opinions on the different strategies used by different teams. He got so enthusiastic at one point that he almost grabbed the quill and parchment from her to defend his precious team (Tutshill Tornadoes) in writing. Three rolls of parchment later, Ginny happily copied the draft of her conclusion to her essay.

"This is the longest History of Magic essay I've ever written," she told Michael, waving her homework proudly at him.

"Are you really going to pass that?" he asked, his disbelief coming back.

"Sure," she replied casually. "Why not?"

Michael started laughing softly.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Michael said through his laughter. "You—" he hesitated, biting his lip. "Nothing," he finally said, though Ginny doubted it. "This was fun wasn't it?"

And even though she was not one to enjoy doing homework, Ginny had to admit, writing about Quidditch in her History of Magic essay _was_ fun.

* * *

_Betaed by_: PadfootProngs7


	15. Valentine's Day 1

**Part 4: Valentine's Day  
**

The second Saturday of January dawned bright and clear, allowing everyone an enjoyable Hogsmeade weekend. Colin, who thought that the weather was perfect for taking photos of Hogwarts castle and its surroundings, decided to stay in school with his younger brother. Kim also planned to stay in school the whole day to practice with her band. Not wanting to be the third wheel with Sarah and Edmund, Ginny decided visit Hogsmeade with Luna Lovegood.

Luna was a blond-haired Ravenclaw in Ginny's own year. She lived with her father in a rook-shaped house on the top of a hill near Ottery St. Catchpole. Her mother had died while conducting an experiment that had gone wrong when Luna was only nine years old.

Ginny had known Luna since they were about six or seven. She was the type of person who couldn't be described to other people without drawing blank looks. Many people found Luna to be rather odd, which, Ginny had to admit, she was. Her classmates and most other Ravenclaws often made fun of her and treated her like an outcast, and Ginny often found herself defending Luna against them. Luna, however, always seemed unfazed by their taunts and would only respond with a dreamy smile.

Luna's oddness was actually one of the things Ginny liked about the girl. She found Luna's views to be quite novel and refreshing. Luna was very nice, honest, and open-minded. She never judge people based on looks or first impressions. Even if people were continually mean to her, she didn't think they were bad people. She was one of Ginny's closest friends.

Ginny and Luna stopped by Hagrid's cabin before going out to Hogsmeade. They wanted to check in on him to see if he had recovered from Rita Skeeter's stupid article, but Hagrid was either not in his cabin or he refused to see them. They gave up after fifteen minutes of fruitlessly knocking on his door and made their way to the front gates. Ginny tried to look for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville at the gates, but she could not find the four fourth years among the throng of students queuing up to go outside. Pushing her disappointment away, Ginny followed Luna into the well-worn path to Hogsmeade.

Ginny and Luna made the usual stops at Hogsmeade, starting with Scrivenshaft's to refill their school supplies. After that, they went to Gladrags where Luna bought a hand-woven hat made of what the owner called abaca fibers, though Luna insisted that it was made of the spittle of a large (and most probably imaginary) magical creature called the Leaping Funguar. The hat surprisingly matched the necklace of butterbeer corks Luna wore around her neck.

They had lunch at the Three Broomsticks, where Ginny once again tried to look for Harry and the others. They weren't at the inn either, but Ginny and Luna did run into Michael Corner. After lunch, Michael went with Ginny and Luna to Honeydukes and Zonko's, saying that he needed to shop there but had no one to go with. Seeing as Michael had been hanging out with his classmates, Ginny could not help but think that he was purposely following her. She could not decide whether this was creepy or flattering. Michael was nice though, and he didn't seem to mind Luna, so Ginny let him come with them.

The sun was already low on the horizon when Ginny and Luna decided to go back to Hogwarts. Michael said goodbye to them at the road outside the Three Broomsticks, where Ginny could see his friends waiting for him inside.

"He likes you," Luna said as they started on the path to Hogwarts. She sounded like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Ginny had no doubt who 'he' was. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, and, not knowing how else to respond, awkwardly said, "Er…."

Luna looked sideways at her. "There's no reason to be embarrassed by it, you know," she told Ginny matter-of-factly.

This, of course, made Ginny turn even redder.

"He's alright," Luna continued after a while. "He's not one of the people who keep teasing me, and he doesn't hide my things."

"Yeah, but he doesn't tell them to stop bothering you either," said Ginny, feeling slightly disapproving of Michael. _Harry would have_, she added in her head, completely ignoring the fact that Harry did not know Luna.

"Well, I have you for _that_," said Luna calmly.

Ginny stared at Luna, struck by the certainty with which her friend had said her statement, like it was the undisputed truth—which it was. Ginny let out a small chuckle. Luna always spoke the truth like no one else could.

They talked about the upcoming Quidditch match between the Holyhead Harpies and the Caerphilly Catapults the rest of the way to Hogwarts. Or rather, Ginny talked about the upcoming match while Luna speculated whether the Catapults used real catapults to launch the players into the air.

The two girls parted ways once they reach the castle, with Luna heading to Ravenclaw tower and Ginny to Gryffindor tower. Ginny immediately spotted Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville as she entered the common room. They were sitting by the fireplace and seemed to be discussing something serious. Hermione was frowning deeply while Ron was looking at her with a half-worried, half-admiring expression on his face. Looking around the common room, Ginny saw that her classmates weren't there yet, so she made her way to Harry and the others.

"—really going to find—"

"Hi," Ginny said as she took the seat next to Hermione, interrupting the other girl's tirade. She unceremoniously dropped her bag of Scrivenshaft's products on the floor nearby.

"Hi, Ginny," Harry greeted with a wide smile, making Ginny's stomach do a flip-flop. Neville also grinned at her in greeting while Ron and Hermione gave her a half-hearted smile. "Did you go to Hogsmeade?" asked Harry, eyeing her bag of Hogsmeade products. "We didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I was looking for you guys too," she replied honestly, feeling slightly triumphant that Harry noticed her absence. "We must've missed each other." She looked at the less-than-happy expression on Ron and Hermione's faces. "What's going on?" she asked curiously.

"We ran into Rita Skeeter at the Three Broomsticks," said Ron darkly. "We overheard her talking to her photographer about Bagman, and then Harry here—" he looked accusingly at Harry, who put on a sheepish expression (which Ginny thought was very cute) "—decided to confront her about Hagrid. And then—_would you believe it_—Skeeter asked us for an interview about him! And Hermione—" Ron gave a half-awed, half-scared look in Hermione's direction, "—just blew up! She called that Skeeter bitch—"

"Ron!" chastised Hermione.

"—'horrible'! To her face!" exclaimed Ron. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're absolutely right," he told Hermione, "But you shouldn't have said that to her face. She's going to come after you next," he added worriedly, and Ginny finally understood the concern on his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron. "I don't care," she said vindictively. "That Skeeter woman is a _lunatic_. She doesn't care who her target is, anyone will do to her, anything for a story. I mean, look at Hagrid—what did he ever do to her? I'm going to find out how she managed to sneak inside Hogwarts. I'm sure it's illegal. I'm going to find out," Hermione set her jaws determinedly, "and I'm going to report her."

"And I'm saying that you should be careful," said Ron.

"She's got nothing against me," Hermione said stubbornly.

"Hermione! This is Rita Skeeter we're talking about!" Ron exclaimed exasperatedly. "She'll find something against you!"

Hermione twisted in her chair to face Ron directly. "Are you saying that I shouldn't do anything about her just because she _might_ find something about me?" she asked angrily.

"No! Of course not!" said Ron hurriedly as he backed away slightly. "Look, I know that whatever you're planning to do, we won't be able to stop you. And I've no doubt that you'll be able to do it—we'll even help you. But you should just be careful! We don't want lies printed about you on the front page of the _Daily Prophet_."

Even though Ron kept saying 'we', Ginny couldn't help but think that he really meant 'I'. Hermione looked mollified at his statement, and she finally stopped arguing back, her cheeks taking on a pinkish tinge. Ginny, Harry, and Neville grinned knowingly at each other.

"Hagrid's decided to come back and teach, by the way," Harry said after a moment.

"Really?" Ginny asked happily, thinking that this was the best bit of news she had heard since Christmas. "How'd you find out?"

"Well, after Hermione blew up at Skeeter, she dragged all three of us to Hagrid's," replied Neville, who seemed slightly amused by the whole thing. "Dumbledore was already there so he opened the door for us—"

Ginny nodded in understanding. Ever since the article about him was published about two weeks ago, Hagrid hadn't opened his door to anyone, no matter how loudly they knocked.

"—and we finally got Hagrid to listen to us," continued Neville. "Not before Harry told that _touching_ tale about his Muggle relatives, though," he added jokingly.

"Oi!" exclaimed Harry, throwing a pillow at Neville, who raised a hand to block it. "Don't you make fun of that—we wouldn't have convinced Hagrid if I hadn't told him about them."

Ron grinned at Harry and Neville while Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes at the two boys' childish behavior.

"I'm glad Hagrid's coming back to teach," said Ginny, frowning slightly as the pillow Neville had chucked back at Harry sailed right under her nose. "Thank Merlin you guys talked some sense into him."

"I'm still going after Skeeter," Hermione declared vehemently.

"We know," everyone else said in unison.

* * *

The rest of January passed by quickly and relatively calmly. Snow was still thick on the ground, but the blizzard that had assaulted Hogwarts on the first week of the term had finally died down. Despite the calm weather, Ginny had not gone for another fly at the pitch with Harry. She had had a lot of essays that needed to be finished and she could not afford to take the time to go flying. Deep down, however, she knew homework was just an excuse. She was hardly the type of person who would prefer writing essays over riding a broom.

The truth of the matter was that she was scared; scared of being alone with Harry, scared that she would make a fool of herself, and scared that her feelings for him would deepen. But most of all, she was scared that he would find out. She could handle being around him—she _liked_ being around him—but not alone. She took every possible way out so she did not have to go flying with him. She even resorted to actually making her homework so he would not get suspicious (this had earned her a raised eyebrow from Hermione). While this was good in the sense that she no longer did her essays at the last minute, surprisingly lightening her workload, she was beginning to really miss him. She wanted to spend time with Harry. She just didn't want to be alone with him, and she couldn't just suddenly hang out with the fourth years. She had always spent her free time with other people—sometimes with Luna, sometimes with her classmates, and sometimes with Fred and George. It would be a little suspicious, not to mention desperate and somewhat disloyal, if she chose to hang out with him instead of her friends, even if she was also friends with _his_ friends, not to mention with Harry himself…sort of.

Ginny contented herself with daydreaming about Harry, reminiscing about the times they had spent together and imagining about times they should have spent together. She had been doing just that during Potions class in early February when a loud 'thud' and a rattling of bottles interrupted her visions of flying with Harry.

Ginny jumped on her seat and forced herself to look at the front of the class, dragging herself back to reality. She stared at the potion ingredients Snape had just placed on his table as he turned his back on the class and started writing something on the blackboard. Her eyes fell on a jar of what looked like toads (poisonous, if Ginny guessed correctly) suspended in green liquid. It would have looked disgusting, but the liquid was the exact shade of green as Harry's eyes.

_His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad_, she thought absently.

Ginny cocked her head to one side, thoughtfully considering the statement. It actually sounded good, like a line in a poem. A small smile played across her lips and she rifled through her book bag. She fished out piece of parchment with an already graded History of Magic essay written on it and began to write on the clean side.

_His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad_

Ginny's grin widened as she stared at the words on the parchment. _Not bad_, she thought smugly. She could definitely make something out of it. She scratched her chin with the feathery tip of her quill, thinking about how to continue.

What next? What are the other things about Harry that she liked so much? The way he quirks his eyebrows? His brilliant smile? His messy, jet-black hair—

Yes, she definitely liked his hair. She began to write the second line of the poem.

_His hair is as dark as_—

As what? As night? Dark as night? That comparison was overused. Ginny looked around the Potions classroom, hoping to get some sort of inspiration from the gloomy dungeon. She let her eyes stray towards the potion ingredients at the front of the class, hoping she could find something to compare Harry's hair to, just like with his eyes. There was nothing, however—Clabbert dung was the only thing dark enough, and it was hardly a flattering comparison. Not that 'fresh pickled toad' was, but it was definitely better than dung.

Ginny looked past the potion ingredients on Snape's table, and it finally hit her. She grinned as she continued with her 'work'.

_His hair is as dark as a blackboard_

The next line came easily to her: _I wish he was mine, he's really divine_.

She thought for a moment, smiled, and then wrote: _The greatest Seeker of Gryffindor_.

Ginny read through her poem, feeling rather proud. Her grin kept getting wider and dreamier. It seemed only a moment later, however, when the parchment was snatched rudely away from her. She snapped her head up, prepared to yell at whoever had taken the poem. But, to her horror, she found herself face to face with none another than Snape—the stealthy bat.

"Why, Miss Weasley," said Snape in a dangerously calm voice, "I've never seen you so happy about note-taking," he added before reading the poem she had written.

Ginny saw Snape's lips thinning visibly as his eyes traveled along the parchment. She felt her face heat up with mortification. She looked nervously at Snape's face, and then at her classmates, who had all turned to stare at her. An alarming thought came to her mind and she felt herself turn even redder.

What if Snape made her read the poem to the whole class? Everyone would find out about her crush on Harry! It wasn't exactly that hard to figure out. Green eyes, black hair, Gryffindor Seeker…. What if her classmates told Harry about it? That would be so humiliating!

She noticed Snape walking away from her and caught some of what he was saying ("—and ten points from Gryffindor"). Ginny stared at the Potions Master's back as he made his way to the front of the class. She blinked, feeling rather dumbstruck.

That was all? Ten points from Gryffindor? What if Snape had read the poem to the class and she had somehow blacked out? Panicking, Ginny looked around at her classmates. No one was laughing at her. Everyone had turned their attention back to the blackboard and they were all diligently taking down notes. After staring at each of her classmates, Ginny finally allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. She could not believe that she got off that easily.

She should have known that wasn't the end of it.

"Weasley," Snape called after the end of class, "stay behind."

Resigned to punishment, Ginny grimaced at her friends as they gave her sympathetic looks. She waited for everyone to file out of the classroom before approaching Snape at his table.

"You will come here for four Saturdays, starting tomorrow," Snape said without looking up from his inspection of the potion ingredients. "Two-thirty, _on the dot_," he emphasized. "You will know what you'll be doing then."

He did not explain that he was giving her detention, and he did not tell her why. He did not need to. Ginny nodded mutely, unsure of what to say. Snape finally looked up at her. He raised his eyebrow almost imperceptibly as he took Ginny's poem from his pocket and slapped it on the table right in front of her.

"I'm sure pickled toads—" Snape eyed the offending ingredient, "are quite _fascinating_," he said sarcastically. "But I trust that next time, you would pay attention to other ingredients as well?"

Snape's face was impassive, but Ginny could have sworn that he was trying not to smile.

"Yes, Professor," said Ginny quickly, too grateful that he had not read her poem to the whole class to be angry at the four weekends of detention.

Snape's face remained impassive as he turned back to inspecting the potion ingredients on his table. Ginny grabbed her poem, turned to leave, hesitated, and then turned back to Snape. She swayed on the spot, not really knowing why she was still standing there.

"What are you still doing here, Weasley?" Snape asked after a while.

"Oh, er…" said Ginny stupidly.

She wanted to know why Snape did not read her poem to the whole class. That seemed like a very Snape thing to do. Yet, all he did was take ten points from Gryffindor and give her four Saturdays of detention. But perhaps, it was best not to question his decision, lest he change his mind.

"Thanks, Professor," she said instead.

"Get out," said Snape, his voice getting dangerously low, but this time, Ginny was sure that he had broken into a small smile.

Ginny grinned cheekily at Snape before turning on her heel and heading out of the Potions classroom with much greater dignity than someone who had been caught writing love poems.

_Maybe Snape isn't so bad after all_, she thought as she walked out of the classroom.

Later that night in the Gryffindor common room, she took out a piece of parchment from her book bag and crumpled it. She had realized how stupid her poem sounded—like some lunatic from a mental asylum had written it. She was confident enough to say that she was a pretty good writer. She had even helped her friend Kim with the lyrics to a song she was composing. But the poem…well, it was silly. The Potions classroom was simply _not_ conducive to creative writing.

Before heading up to her dormitory, Ginny tossed her poem into the fire. Unbeknownst to her, two identical pairs of eyes were shrewdly observing her actions. She did not see the crumpled parchment zoom out of the fireplace as she turned towards the girls' staircase.

* * *

_Betaed by_: NancyDrewGirl_  
_


	16. Valentine's Day 2

George Weasley woke up on the fourteenth of February only to find his twin already up and about. Fred was bent over his trunk, obviously looking for something. He usually woke up a few minutes later than George, but neither of them was surprised that the situation was reversed that morning. After all, something _special _was about to happen that day and Fred always woke up earlier on special days.

Fred looked up from his trunk as George got out of bed. They exchanged wicked grins, thinking of what they were about to do, before George started getting ready for the day and Fred continued rummaging in his trunk. Minutes later, Fred finally found what he was looking for and George finished dressing up.

George eyed the small red package his twin was holding. He gave Fred a sarcastic smirk, knowing that the package was a Valentine's gift for Angelina—he had helped pick it out. Fred shrugged casually and put the package in his pocket. Without a word to each other, the twins headed for the door at the same time, leaving their roommates to their sleep.

Just as they had expected, the common room was still empty. It was a Sunday, after all. Everyone was surely going to sleep in, and they had made allowances for those who wouldn't. They headed to the Owlery and gave a letter, and other things besides, to the largest school owl. After that, they went to the kitchens, where they gave instructions to several willing house-elves.

More than half an hour had passed before George and Fred got back to Gryffindor tower. They entered the common room and immediately ran into Angelina and Alicia, who were making their way towards the portrait hole the twins had just clambered through.

"Good morning, girls!" George greeted brightly. He made sure that his voice was loud enough to be irritating on such an early hour.

Angelina and Alicia responded with sleepy half-smiles and half-winces.

"Hey, _Angel_," Fred greeted in his best Lockhart imitation. Angelina, who detested the nickname, glared at him, though there wasn't really much ice behind it. "Looking forward to today?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Angelina rolled her eyes, though she clearly looked pleased, and she kissed Fred when he leaned in towards her. George grinned and also leaned in towards her, jocularly puckering his lips. Angelina placed a hand on his chest and pushed him several steps backwards, prompting an appreciative chuckle from Alicia and a snigger from Fred.

"Aw, come on, Anj," whined George. "It's Valentine's Day!"

Fred smacked George on the back of the head with a rolled-up newspaper he seemed to have conjured out of thin air. "Go kiss some other bloke's girl," said Fred mildly.

"Ah, my apologies, brother mine," said George, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "Couldn't help it—you've got such excellent taste in girls."

"What is wrong with you today?" Angelina asked incredulously. "I mean, other than the usual," she added before George could reply.

"Sorry 'bout him, Anj," said Fred. He put on a tragic expression and lightly patted George on the shoulder. "He must've woken up on the right side of the bed today."

Angelina turned to Fred, looking even more incredulous. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it after a moment, apparently realizing that it wasn't worth it. She rolled her eyes and instead said, "We're going down to breakfast, you two coming?"

"We'll catch up, Anj," said Fred, smiling at her.

His voice carried none of his usual mischievous inflection and he sounded almost tender. Angelina smiled back at him with a soft expression on her face. George felt slightly jealous and at the same time felt an urge to snicker at Fred and his pretty girlfriend.

"Things to do, you know," George explained enigmatically to Angelina and Alicia.

The girls raised their eyebrows suspiciously at George and Fred. The twins immediately put on their best innocent face.

"Alright, see you at the Great Hall," Angelina said after a moment. She and Alicia turned on their heels and clambered out of the portrait hole.

George and Fred watched them go then strode across the common room towards a group of chairs by the fireplace. They sat and waited, conjuring small paper broomsticks that dive-bombed on people's heads.

They had only been waiting for a few minutes (and hit more than a dozen people with their paper broomsticks), when Hermione Granger descended the girls' staircase. Unlike the other girls in the common room, who had all been giggling nonstop (George supposed it was because of the day), Hermione made her way to a seat by the window and, of course, began reading the book she brought with her. George and Fred waved at her in greeting and then turned back to their paper broomsticks. She was not their quarry. After a while, Lee came down the stairs. George and Fred bid him to go downstairs without them. He was not their quarry either. A few minutes later, Harry, Ron, and Neville emerged from the boys' dormitories. They immediately approached Hermione and together, the four fourth years headed out of the common room to breakfast. George and Fred waved cheerfully at them but otherwise remained seated. One of them was their quarry—their main quarry, in fact—but they were waiting for the other one.

Finally, Ginny bounded down the girls' staircase, looking like she always did on early mornings—sleepy, a little grumpy, and slightly out of it. She didn't even notice the twins as she crossed the common room and clambered out of the portrait hole, which was all the better for them. They waited for several seconds, and then hurried up after her.

They stealthily followed her until they reached a staircase that went down towards the sixth floor. Ginny took the staircase. George and Fred waited until she was out of sight before taking the shortcut through a nearby tapestry. Less than ten minutes later, they were waiting for her at the entrance hall, snickering gleefully. They stood to one side of the marble staircase, hidden from view to anyone descending it. After several minutes, they saw Ginny walking down the staircase. They waited until she was at the bottommost step before jumping right in front of her.

"Boo!" Fred cried loudly.

Ginny's shoulders jerked involuntarily but to her credit, she betrayed no other signs of surprise. She slowly raised an eyebrow and regarded the twins suspiciously. George almost teared up with pride at his little sister's reaction.

_We taught her well_, he thought dramatically.

He almost felt guilty about what he and Fred had planned. After all, out of all their siblings, Ginny—their one and only sister—was the most like them. But then, George thought of their other target and how they hadn't gotten _him_ back on that prank he pulled last year, and all feelings of guilt left George.

"Hey, little sis," he greeted with a wide grin.

Ginny scowled at George, who grinned even wider knowing that his 'little' comment had irritated her. "What do you want?" she asked flatly.

"What? Can't brothers greet their little sisters anymore?" Fred asked innocently.

"I am _not_ little," she said defiantly.

"Ah, but you are," said George. And she _was_.

George and Fred were not afraid of riling her up. One thing they had learned about Ginny was that even though she was grumpy on mornings and got easily annoyed, she was almost always too sleepy to hex them—unless, of course, she was seriously annoyed. They had long ago figured out the exact point at which to annoy her on mornings and had actually set a record of not getting hexed by her for two straight years (not counting other times of the day, of course).

Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed her way past George and Fred, obviously too sleepy to deal with them. They followed her with wide grins on their faces.

"Great day, isn't it?" Fred began as they started to walk across the entrance hall. He shared a conspiratorial glance with George over Ginny's head.

"I've always loved Valentine's Day," George piped up, taking on the familiar rhythm of alternating sentences with his twin.

"Love is in the air," Fred said with a dramatic sigh. Ginny rolled her eyes again.

"Did you remember to get something for Angelina, Fred?" George asked pointedly. They were already halfway between the entrance to the Great Hall and the marble staircase.

"Of course!" said Fred in a mock-offended tone. "You insult me, brother dearest."

"Ah, sorry, sorry," said George. "What about you, Gin?" he asked. They were only a few steps away from the Great Hall. Ginny scrunched up her nose, but didn't say anything. "You got something for a special someone?"

"Say," Fred began as they stepped into the Great Hall, "Someone with _eyes as green as a fresh pickled toad_?"

And together, George and Fred hurried towards the Gryffindor table, leaving Ginny standing by the entrance to the Great Hall, looking stunned, embarrassed, and indignant all at the same time.

It was several minutes later when Ginny finally entered the Great Hall. George could not quite keep the gleeful snicker from escaping his lips as he looked over at his little sister. She had taken a seat at the Ravenclaw table with her friend Luna Lovegood, but she did not appear to be listening to a word the blonde girl was saying. She was staring back at George. Her expression, which alternated between murderous and mortified at regular intervals, entertained him to no end. He smirked widely at her while Fred, who was sitting beside him, gave a smug little wave.

"What are you two up to?" asked Angelina. She was sitting across George and Fred. Alicia, who was sitting beside her, looked curiously at the twins.

"What makes you think we're up to something?" Fred asked innocently. Lee, who was sitting on his other side, gave a sarcastic snort.

"You're always up to something," replied Angelina.

"Fair point, that," said George, wiggling a finger airily at Angelina. Fred nodded in agreement.

Angelina narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the two of them. She twisted around to check who they had been smirking at and caught sight of Ginny.

"You should leave your sister alone," advised Angelina.

George and Fred gave her identical ear-to-ear grins that could only be taken to mean as '_Never_'. She rolled her eyes at the two of them.

"I hope she hexes you into next week," muttered Angelina.

The twins shrugged nonchalantly and smiled at each other. It was true that after the events that would take place that morning, Ginny would definitely want to hex them. Being their protégé (though she never seemed to like it when they called her that), they knew that she could come up with the most creative ways of getting even, but the prank they were about to pull off was simply too good to pass up. The expression on her face was already priceless at the moment, how much more would it be when they finally got to the 'main event'? Besides, she wasn't their main target. They would be hitting two birds with one stone (well, actually, it would be several birds with one stone but the others were simply..._opening acts_, so to speak). They definitely owed Target Number One, considering the Marauder's Map 'incident' last year. Whatever Ginny might do in retaliation, it would all be worth it. They would brave it. After all, they were not Gryffindors for nothing.

George looked around the Great Hall. The staff table was full, with the headmaster and the teachers occupying their usual seats. Most of the students were already seated at the house tables, happily munching away on their toasts and bacons. Since it was a Sunday, not everyone had come down for breakfast, some students preferring a lie in to a morning meal.

_But no matter_, thought George. The important…_players_ were present.

All in all, it was a typical peaceful Sunday morning at Hogwarts. Several groups of girls were giggling louder than usual, but that was understandable because it was Valentine's Day after all. George gave an evil, I-am-up-to-something laugh—only in his head of course (he was pretty sure Fred was doing the same thing). They would give the girls something to giggle about.

The twins shared a conspiratorial look…_It's time_.

Fred provided cover as George slowly took his wand from his pocket. He waved it surreptitiously under the table as he muttered an incantation, activating the potion that the house-elves had placed on the food of certain people.

The twins began counting in their heads: _One…two…three—_

_BANG!_

A loud explosion resounded throughout the Great Hall. Silence followed the explosion as a fluffy pink cloud settled over the staff table. All heads snapped towards the staff table. Everyone seemed frozen on their seats, bewildered looks crossing their faces.

"What the hell!" an exclamation from the Gryffindor table echoed above the silence, causing the curious whispers to break out.

George bit back a snicker as the fluffy pink cloud disappeared, revealing the staff table and causing all the whispers to die down. Staring back at the students, with expressions varying from curious, to amused, to indignant, were the headmaster and the teachers, all decked in costumes that made them look like a human suit of cards.

Professor Dumbledore's magnificent purple robes were replaced by a costume fit for a king. His long beard was styled into several braided strands and he was wearing a crown on his head. His eyes twinkled merrily as he studied a rubber sword that had somehow made its way into his hands. Next to him, Professor McGonagall looked down at her queenly robes, her lips thinning. A crown sat on her head and she was holding a flower in her right hand. On her other side, Professor Lupin was wearing robes of a slightly less elegant style as Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. He was clutching a leaf in his hand, and he looked like he was trying not to smile. All three of them had a huge red heart printed on the front of their robes. With the exception of Snape, all the other teachers were wearing billowing white robes with different numbers of hearts on the chest. A red 'K' was painted on Dumbledore's face. McGonagall had a 'Q', Lupin a 'J', and Hagrid an 'A' while the other teachers had numbers on their faces. Snape was a different matter. His usual black robes had turned into pink and red tights while a jester's hat with the same colors, complete with tinkling golden balls, sat on his head at a jaunty angle.

Several students were stuffing their fists into their mouths to prevent themselves from laughing out loud. Ron, sitting a few seats away from the twins, had choked on his food. A snigger escaped from the Gryffindor table but was quickly stifled. Hagrid stared at a highly displeased Snape, his beard twitching. A moment later, he burst out into a booming laughter that echoed around the Great Hall. That did it for everyone and the students stopped trying to control their mirth. The twins joined in on the laughter, finally deeming it safe to express their delight. Lupin and Flitwick began laughing heartily, Dumbledore started chuckling, and even McGonagall broke into a small smile. The only one who didn't seem pleased by the whole thing was Snape. His eyes went directly to George and Fred, an expression of pure disdain on his face. The twins stared back at him, their faces a study on innocence.

_BANG!_

Another explosion rang across the Great Hall, causing a collective intake of breath as everyone stopped laughing in shock. White smoke surrounded the Slytherin table. Before the whispers could break out again, the smoke disappeared. This time, nobody tried holding in their laughter.

All members of the Slytherin Quidditch team were wearing outfits that would look better in a costume party—specifically, a costume part for _babies_. Their robes were replaced with white nappies, white wings which fluttered on their backs, and a huge red heart which was painted on their bare chests. Every single one of them wore expressions of extreme mortification while some of their friends looked embarrassed for them. All the other students (and a few teachers), however, were freely expressing their amusement. Even the normally grouchy Viktor Krum was laughing heartily at a pink-faced Draco Malfoy (a bonus point, in George's opinion).

Unsurprisingly, the Gryffindors were the most appreciative of the new 'uniforms' of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Angelina was gleefully clapping her hands; Lee was jovially thumping Fred's back and exclaiming the word "genius" over and over again (George had to agree with him on that one); Ginny, who had been shooting murderous glares at the twins a few minutes ago, appeared to have forgotten her annoyance and had dissolved into a fit of laughter; Ron had turned red from laughing so hard; Harry was banging his fist on the table (_Oh, you're laughing now_, George thought sarcastically); and even Hermione, who normally disapproved of the twins' pranks, was laughing along with everyone else.

Before the all the laughter could die out, Hogwarts' largest owl, its feathers dyed in a shocking shade of pink (George and Fred were inspired by the Quiberon Quafflepunchers), burst through one of the windows. For the third time that morning, the Great Hall fell silent as everyone watched the large pink owl soar towards a certain raven-haired Gryffindor and drop a pink envelope in front of him.

George suppressed a snicker as Harry stared at the envelope, a look of confusion and dread crossing his face. Harry looked at his friends, who were staring curiously back at him and the pink envelope. They weren't the only ones either. The arrival of the large pink-feathered owl had caught everyone's attention. The Gryffindors sitting near Harry were also staring curiously at the envelope while several students from the other houses were craning their necks to check out what was going on at the Gryffindor table.

George and Fred turned their attention to their one and only sister. They waved sarcastically at her and gave identical evil grins that spoke volumes of what was about to happen. Ginny sent a venomous look at them. The expression on her face screamed bloody murder, but the twins only grinned even wider, knowing that she couldn't do anything now.

The pink envelope started hissing as smoke escaped out of it. Except for its color, the letter could have been mistaken for a Howler.

"Open it, Harry," said Neville, sounding slightly alarmed. The Howler-like impression obviously worked.

Harry nervously looked at his three friends, hastily opened the pink envelope, and took out an equally pink paper from it. As soon as he unfolded the paper, another loud explosion rang throughout the Great Hall, turning everyone's attention towards him. The paper flew from Harry's hands, hovering a few feet above his head. And then, it started singing….

* * *

_Edited 15-Dec-2010:_

_- Removed a scene (the one where Harry, Ron, and Neville are hanging out in the common room). I'm sorry that I had to change something when it is already uploaded, but the chapter was very incoherent with that scene. There is no "cohesion" in the chapter because of that scene, and the succeeding chapters are affected. _

_- Moved a part from the next chapter into this chapter._


	17. Valentine's Day 3

_The paper flew from Harry's hands, hovering a few feet above his head. And then, it started singing…._

* * *

Ron tried, he really did. But 'pickled toad'! And 'blackboard'!

Harry had tried to make himself as small as possible throughout the song (if you could call it that) and was now halfway out of his seat. He looked like he wanted to hide under the Gryffindor table and stay there for the rest of the term—or his natural life, whichever was longer. Neville had turned purple in an effort to control his mirth (Ron suspected that he wasn't breathing). But it was Hermione's reaction that did it for Ron. She was obviously trying not to laugh and had demurely placed a spoon over her mouth to hide her smile. How someone could look so cute while doing that was beyond Ron, but it finally sent him over the edge and he exploded into a fit of laughter.

He felt bad for laughing at his best friend. But really, how much could one person take without breaking? First there were the teachers' costumes, then the Slytherin Quidditch team's outfits, then that silly poem, _and then_ there was Hermione's reaction.

Ron had no doubt as to who had pulled the prank.

_Fred and George are geniuses_, he thought, for once admitting—at least to himself—his admiration for his older brothers.

* * *

_Fred and George are idiots_, thought Ginny, once again remembering something she had realized a long time ago—the twins went too far sometimes.

She was livid. She wanted to strangle her brothers to death, Bat-Bogey them into oblivion, _and_ feed them to the giant squid—not necessarily in that order. But, predictably, they were nowhere to be found. She had marched throughout the entire castle and grounds looking for them, with Luna tailing along like a mildly interested tourist to her homicidal tour guide, but she had seen neither hide nor hair of the twins since breakfast.

It was almost lunchtime and Ginny had yet to catch sight of her meddling brothers. She was sitting at the courtyard, still fuming, and scowling at anything that moved.

_They just wait_, she thought murderously. _When I find them, I'm going to make—_

"It was very nice of you to write that poem, Ginny."

Ginny practically jumped out of her own skin when she heard someone speak. Her head snapped towards Luna, who she had just realized was sitting beside her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked automatically, but inwardly wondering how Luna knew that she wrote the silly poem.

"You know, the poem this morning," Luna replied matter-of-factly.

"I—I didn't write that," she lied.

Luna only smiled and stared at Ginny with her wide, blue eyes. Ginny sighed. Somehow, her lying abilities didn't work on Luna.

"Alright, I wrote that," she admitted grudgingly.

Luna, looking thoughtful, pointed out, "The pickled toad comparison wasn't very flattering." Ginny grimaced helplessly at her. "And the last line didn't seem to fit with the rest of the poem. But all in all, it was very nice," she added cheerfully, "Though it wasn't very nice of your brothers to make it sing to Harry Potter. He looked as red as the Gryffindor banners, but I think that was fitting since he _is_ the Gryffindor Seeker."

Ginny flushed a deep red at the casual reference to the words of the poem. Luna didn't seem to notice her embarrassment and continued, "There's something I don't understand though."

"What's that?" asked Ginny, finding herself curious at how thoroughly Luna was thinking about the whole…_mess_.

"If you like Harry Potter—"

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but immediately thought better of it. She just knew that telling Luna that she didn't like Harry would have the same effect as pointing out that Crumple-Horned Snorcacks didn't exist. The only difference was that one was a lie and the other a sensible point.

"—how come you stopped hanging out with him?"

"We never hung out before," said Ginny defensively, and at the same time feeling awful about it. "So I didn't stop. It never _started_."

"I think flying together counts as 'hanging out'," said Luna matter-of-factly. "You used to do it almost every week last year. How come you stopped going?"

"Well, he likes Cho…" Ginny let her explanation trail off, perfectly aware of how pathetic it sounded.

"Hmm," Luna said thoughtfully after staring at Ginny for several seconds. "Why is that stopping you?"

"Er…"

"I'm sure you enjoy being around him. Even if he doesn't like being around you—"

_Ouch_, thought Ginny.

"—you're still hanging out together. So at the end of the day, you'd be the happier one."

Ginny scrunched her face up in confusion. "Huh?" she said, quite articulately.

If Luna had been Hermione, Ginny was pretty sure she'd be rolling her eyes at that instant. Then again, if Luna had been Hermione, she wouldn't be making that particular point. It simply didn't make sense to Ginny, no matter which way she looked at it.

Luna gave a shrug. "If you like hanging out with him, you shouldn't let anything stop you."

_At least that made sense_, thought Ginny.

"It doesn't matter now anyway," she said out loud. "After what happened this morning, I don't think I can be around him and not make a fool of myself," she explained dejectedly. She would probably think of the poem every time Harry looked her way and that was sure to make her blush and stammer like a silly little girl.

"Stupid Fred," she huffed irritably. "Stupid George," she clenched her hands into fists. "Stupid twins," she gritted her teeth. "Stupid brothers," she said with a loud, frustrated growl.

"They weren't very nice," agreed Luna.

"I'm going to get them back," Ginny declared vehemently.

"I expected you would," said Luna serenely. "But I think you should calm down first," she suggested. "You wouldn't be able to think of a good payback otherwise."

Luna's suggestion actually helped a great deal. Once Ginny had calmed down, she finally came up with a way to locate her idiotic brothers. Once she'd had her lunch, and after Luna had left to write an essay which was due on Friday (one of the _very_ few things Luna had in common with Hermione was their desire to do their homework way before it was due), Ginny had gone to the sixth year boys' dormitory and nicked Fred and George's copy of the Marauders' Map.

It was lucky that the twins left their Marauders' Map in Fred's trunk. Using the Map would be the easiest way to find them and Ginny had no desire to borrow Harry's copy, let alone talk to him, so soon after what happened that morning. It was also lucky that Harry's dad, Sirius, and Professor Lupin decided to make a copy of the Map for Fred and George, or she really would have to borrow from Harry.

It had been on the winter holidays of the last school year when Fred and George, who had ran into Harry, his dad, and Sirius at the Leaky Cauldron a few days after Christmas, finally learned the real identity of the Marauders. Ginny wasn't present at the time but Harry had later told her (well, he told Ron and she just happened to be present at the time) that the twins had dropped to their knees in front of his dad and Sirius and sang praises to the two Marauders. A few days later Fred and George returned the Map to its original owners. The Marauders then made several copies of the Map—one for Harry (they never told his Mum), one for Fred and George (given as a thank you for nicking the Map from Filch), and one for Lupin so that he could watch out for students who went on nighttime jaunts (Ginny suspected that he didn't look at the Map too often)—with the original copy going to Harry's dad or Sirius (Ginny wasn't sure which one of them really had it).

Fred and George had received their new copy around February. Unbeknownst to them, Harry, with the help of Sirius, had charmed the Map so that it didn't show a person's dot correctly unless said person was within a few feet of the Map. It took the twins getting caught out of bounds three times (twice by Filch and once by Lupin) to realize that they had been the victims of a prank. Harry had consequently fixed their Map, but they had yet to prank him back.

Ginny realized that that was probably the reason why the twins sent Harry that silly poem. She wondered if she was just 'collateral damage', or if they had meant to prank her too. In any case, they had included her in the prank and that meant one thing: _payback_.

* * *

Several hours after breakfast found George and Fred taking a lesser-known route to Gryffindor Tower in order to avoid their little sister. Once there, they would get their copy of the Marauder's Map in order to keep track of Ginny and make sure they didn't come within a few feet of her. They were quite sure that Ginny was not too happy with them because of the material they had used for pranking Harry.

In George's opinion, it was a work of genius. _Inspired_, he thought proudly. He doubted whether their prank would have embarrassed Harry as much if they hadn't used Ginny's composition. She really had a gift. George would even go as far as to say that she would be a good comedy writer. Who else could think of such a line as "fresh pickled toad"?

As if on cue, Fred began to chuckle. George eyed him questioningly.

"The look on Snape's face," Fred explained through his chuckles. "And Flint, and Malfoy…. And don't even get me started on that poem! We, dear brother, are geniuses," he added smoothly.

George gave a small chuckle of his own. "I wonder what Ginny's gonna do for payback," he contemplated idly as they took a small side corridor that led to a hidden staircase that would lead them directly to the seventh floor corridor where the entrance to Gryffindor Tower was located.

"We're about to find out soon," replied Fred, who was ahead of George and had suddenly stopped in his tracks. A second later, George followed suit.

Right at the end of the corridor, standing on the foot of the staircase that led up to the seventh floor, was the last person they wanted to run into that day. Wand in hand, Ginny looked half-triumphant, probably for finding the twins, and half-furious, most definitely for the prank they had pulled that morning. George wondered briefly how she found them, until he saw what she was holding in her other hand. In spite of the dire situation, George couldn't help but be proud of their little sister's ingenuity.

"Is that our map?" George asked Ginny calmly as she got off the bottommost step of the staircase and started to walk slowly towards the twins.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at George, who took an involuntary step backward along with his twin. "It's mine now," she declared.

George smiled—a gesture that was sure to annoy his little sister even more. "Be my guest," he told her. He and Fred were really planning to give it to her anyway. "We don't need it anymore."

Ginny opened her mouth to retort, but Fred cut her off. "So…" he said, grinning from ear to ear. There was absolutely no doubt, from the glee in his voice, as to what he was going to say next. "_Harry_, eh?"

What little left of Ginny's composure was broken down by Fred's casual comment. She advanced menacingly on the twins, reminding George of the Veelas in the World Cup—the ugly, scary-looking versions.

"Why do you always—" she began, but was apparently too angry to finish her sentence. "How could—What—"

Ginny continued advancing on the twins, her words colliding into each other as she muttered and cursed. She was barely intelligible, as she always was when she was extremely angry, but George and Fred got the gist of her statements: _they were going to pay_. Knowing never to ignore their sister's threats, the twins retreated slowly, too scared to move quickly lest they provoke her even more.

Suddenly, Ginny swiped her wand through the air. George and Fred instinctively covered their noses, expecting her infamous Bat-Bogey Hex, but nothing happened to them. Instead, the broom cupboard to their left opened with a loud bang. There was a split-second in which George wondered what his sister was trying to do. The next thing he knew, he was struggling against an invisible force that was dragging him towards the cupboard.

In a matter of seconds, the twins had found themselves in a heap inside the small broom cupboard, with their little sister towering threateningly over them. As one, the twins swallowed audibly.

"This isn't over yet," Ginny said with deadly calm. And with that, she forcefully closed the door on the twins, but not before muttering their most dreaded words and sending bat wings flapping and scratching all over their faces.

Ten minutes later—though it felt like an hour to George—the transfigured bat wings finally began to disappear. George and Fred were quiet for a minute, both catching their breaths and checking for scratches on their faces.

"So, we're in for it with Ginny," Fred said casually.

"Yeah," agreed George. "Harry, too," he added after a moment. "He won't rest until he gets his retribution."

The twins looked at each other, grinning manically. Fred said out loud what the two of them were thinking:

"This is going to be fun."

* * *

_Edited 15-Dec-2010_

**AN:** So, I know I'm a bloody idiot. It took me 8 months to update a story and when I did, it was only to change some chapters and add one very small scene. I'm very sorry about changing the chapters when they're already uploaded. But like I said in my Author's Note in the previous chapter, I had to do it. The chapters lacked coherence because of that one small part. I would like to explain more, but I am pressed for time. So this is just it for now. If you want to kill me, or demand further explanation, just PM me or something. I will answer everything once I have the time. And I promise, it will be soon.

As for when I will update next. I am not sure. It could take months again. But I am getting back on this story (and starting one other-still HG), so hopefully I can update early next year. I'm not promising anything though.

Thanks everyone.


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